If you've never read, "Everyday Life During the Civil War," by Michael J Varhola, give it a read. There's all kinds of cool stuff in it. Like how prices in food went up astronomically during the war. Check this out:
1861
bacon: 12.5 cents/pound
butter: 20 cents/pound
flour: $6/barrel
1862
bacon: 75 cents/pound
butter: 75 cents to $2.00/pound
flour: $16 - $40/barrel
1863
bacon: $1.25 - $6.00/pound
butter: $2.00 - $4.00/pound
flour: $30 - $75/barrel
1864
bacon: $8.00 - $9.00/pound
butter: $15 - $25/pound
flour: $125 - $500/barrel
It gets worse!
1865
bacon: $11 - $13/pound
butter: $15 - $20/pound
flour: $325 - $1,000/barrel
(pages 87 - 89)
Look back over those prices. Imagine living in the city, where basically everyone relied on farmers for just about everything. A lot of people went hungry - in both the North, and the South, although the South suffered more.
One of the great things about learning history is that it gives you perspective. When the prices of everything are going up around you - you don't freak, because you know it's a cycle that has always been. It will always be. The past encourages you to go with the flow, like those before you, and ride out the storm.
Our ancestors did it, and so can we.
No comments:
Post a Comment