A draft was instituted in the North and South during the Civil War to meet the demand for soldiers. In the North, a person was able to avoid being drafted if they paid a $300 fee. Many poor Northerners and new immigrants to the United States found themselves fighting while rich Americans were able to buy their way out of danger.
This Reconstruction-era cartoon depicts the hated “carpetbagger,” a figure who represented Northern opportunists taking advantage of political openings in the new South. (Image byThomas Nast [PD-US], via Wikimedia Commons)
Use the image to answer the following questions.
What does this illustration say about the type of person who got drafted into the Civil War?
Would you consider this illustration to be supportive of the draft? Why or why not?
This Reconstruction-era cartoon depicts the hated “carpetbagger,” a figure who represented Northern opportunists taking advantage of political openings in the new South. (Image byThomas Nast [PD-US], via Wikimedia Commons)