Like others, I've been thinking about how to respond to this thread. I've worked in the field of innovation studies, so I was interested to read comments about how the ACW affected material production and the adoption of technologies, as well as social changes.
However, my first reaction to this topic was more deeply personal and a little hard to pin down. I think it might be this: I'm a southern white man who was born and grew up in North Carolina in the 1950s and 1960s, and I have always felt acutely affected by the Civil War, even though it took place 90 years before I was born. I grew up aware of deep conflicts around me: race relations, the civil rights struggle, and the legacy of slavery; bitterness over the lost war and toward black people who were somehow to blame for that loss; a sense of stigma and labeling of southern whites as ignorant and unsophisticated; and yet, a lingering pride over our ancestors' struggle to achieve independence and preservation of their culture.
Alongside this broader cultural influence, I was brought by professional academic parents who were civil rights activists and encouraged me to listen to others, to have an open mind, and to learn to think clearly (still working on that last one; not easy).
Not sure how well I've done here expressing how the war has affected my life. I guess it has resulted in a certain ambivalence that I carry around with me. Some of that sense of stigma is still there; I lived in the north for many years, and have worked with people from all over this country and many other countries as well, and I've felt that my southern origins have influenced people's attitudes toward me in subtle ways; or maybe I'm just imagining that (ambivalence and ambiguity at work). I can understand that many people look back to the Confederate effort with bitterness because of factors like the defense of slavery and its racist justification, and the national division and tremendous costs associated with the secession. At the same time, I'm saddened to see the sometimes violent reaction against historic sites and monuments that point back to war and that might still have some lessons to teach us -- as if the past itself must be obliterated to achieve justice.
Okay, I guess that's enough for now. Sorry if I rambled a bit! I'm going to continue to think about this and might even come up with some adjustments to what I've tried to communicate here (ambivalence again; not always a bad quality, I think).
Roy B.