A rich man's war, a poor man's fight: The Civil War's divided home front

Lower-class bitterness for the powerful and elite; citizens feeling threatened and angered by an intrusive, aggressive central government; inflammatory news media; rising prices amid growing poverty. These are themes of outrage and frustration across America today, just as they were over 160 years ago during the Civil War. And they drove opposition to the war in both the North and South.

When Americans think about the Civil War, they usually picture two opposing camps: a Union determined to preserve the nation and a Confederacy determined to secure its independence and its slave economy. However, substantial opposition to the conflict grew out of issues and experiences that were common to both sides.