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Sex During the Civil War

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Sex During the Civil War During the Civil War, a lot of things and people were affected by the conflict. Including sexual behavior and the way people viewed sex. Before the Civil War, there were just some things that weren’t meant to be said, and some things that weren’t meant to be seen. No one talked about sex out in the open, and very few people posed nude for photos. One the other hand, just because it wasn’t a topic that was normally discussed, does not mean it wasn’t thought about. The desire for sex is something natural, being shame or uncomfortable about the topic, still did not hinder the men from the north and south to go and find sex. At the soldiers camp they could purchase something called a “Barrack Favorite”. Which were novels that included “sexual nature”. Photographs of nudity could also be purchased. A single nude picture was 12 cents, and one dozen nude pictures sold for 1 dollar and 20 cents. The pictures were not usually white women, but blacks or Indians. These were just some of the things the soldiers liked to look at during their leisure time. They were so far away from their wives, they had to find something to keep their sexual needs occupied. Prostitution also experienced a major growth during Civil War times. Not just because the husband wasn’t there to supply the women’s sexual needs, but because of the lack of income that was coming into the household. The most popular area for prostitution was Tennessee. Before the break of the war was Tennessee recorded 207 prostitutes, however in 1863 reports claimed to have at least 1500 prostitutes. Many historians believed that the women would catch STD’s on purpose and pass them on to troops of the opposing side. In conclusion, I would be a liar if I said I didn’t find the topic of sex interesting, especially at this time during history. It amazes me how a war can affect so many things.

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