Food Shortages
Kelsey Dust
What happened to all the food?
Many people in confederate states faced food shortages for a couple of reasons. One reason was that the union occupied lots of land that was good for growing food. Another reason was the lack of slaves needed to work in the fields. Without land to grow food, or people to work, many people went hungry and survived on whatever they could find.
Who knew bread could be such a riot?
Lots of people were fed up with the food shortages. In attempt to survive, they rioted for bread by storming bakeries.
Who's bringing home the bacon?
Nobody. With the lack of resources for food, meat became a once-a-week treat, if any.
Cotton helps Confederates
With the Union blocking southern ports, confederates snuck cotton to union states in exchange for food and other things.
Why did food become so expensive?
The amount of money required for a month of food shot up from $6.75 to $68 in the matter of two years. This was caused by the shortages of food itself and lack of resources to get food. People decided to take action and rioted for bread to feed themselves and their families.