What were the social and political effects of the Civil War?

I can't speak for everyone but in my opinion there were two major social effects brought about by the Civil War.

One was the beginning of the struggle for civil rights and equality for African Americans along side the opportunity to mend and bring about a more perfect Union which is still being fought today.

The other is that the Civil War made the United States a unified Nation. That is One Nation. No north, no south no State sovereignty. We are now and have been ever since The United States of America.

The Political effects were the same as with most major events in history and I think even more so today. I see the exposure of these events, the fallen and the social effects used for political purposes that serve politicians and their constituencies. For example, even Abraham Lincoln used the outcome of Antietam to make his case for the Union through the Emancipation Proclamation, which he tactically waited to do until a Union victory was made. Although Lincoln was opposed to slavery, he used the Emancipation Proclamation politically to garner support for the Union cause.