In considering the development of the USA in the years 1815-1917, how far can the union victory in the civil war be seen as a turning point?

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In considering the development of the USA in the years 1815-1917, how far can the union victory in the civil war be seen as a turning point?

In 1865 America was re-united after the civil war. This was certainly a significant moment for America as the re-unification itself marked an absolute change in American history. For this discussion a 'turning point' will be defined as a point at which a very significant change occurs; a decisive moment. To measure whether American development met this criteria, we must consider the main areas of development in this period the primary areas will be the lives of African Americans and Native Americans, westward expansion and immigration, economic developments and foreign affairs.

In the development of the lives of African Americans the union victory did act as a change. In some ways this can be seen as a decisive moment, which would make it sufficient to be described as a turning point. Evidence to support this is that the development of African American lives were improving, as they were creating their own identity, enhancing their religious and cultural believe, therefore the Civil War triumph can be seen as a trigger of freedom for