* __North’s economy was more positively effected by the war rather than the south.__
* Cotton textiles and a few industries declined while __most industries boomed.__
* The army’s need for uniforms, shoes, guns, and other supplies supported woolen mills, steel foundries, coal mines, and many other industries.
* The economic boom had a dark side, though.
* __Wages did not keep up with prices, and many people's standard of living declined__.
* When white male workers went out on strike, employers hired free blacks, immigrants, women, and boys to replace them for lower pay.
* Northern women—who like many southern women replaced men on farms and in city jobs—also obtained government jobs for the first time.
* Although they earned less than men, they remained a regular part of the Washington work force after the war.
* Because of the booming economy and rising prices, many businesses in the North made immense profits.
* They passed off spoiled meat as fresh and demanded twice the usual price for guns.
* This corruption spilled over into the general society.
* Although some individuals found themselves in possession of lots of cash, __the federal government needed money to pay for the war effort.__
* It took several steps to raise the money it needed.
* First, like the Confederate states, the federal government began to print paper money.
* Unlike Confederate money, __northern currency did not lose its value.__
* __Northerners did not, on the whole, lose faith in the government like southerners did.__
* While inflation did drive prices upward, they did not rise to nearly the degree that they did in the South.
* Union inflation peaked at 182 percent.
* In addition to the new money, __Congress decided to help pay for the war through taxes.__
* The government also took steps to tap its citizens' wealth.