Answer:
My dearest wife,
I've been through hell and lived to tell the tale. I cannot wait to crawl back into your arms, having witnessed this... massacre...friends dying left and right, brothers screaming for help...but only the roar of the guns was heard.
It's been the largest number of casualties I've even seen in my life...and oh God... I hope no one ever sees hell like this again.
We, the Union, have somehow defeated general Lee, and stopped the invasion.
I hope to see you soon,
Yours forever, Erik
The United States wanted a method of export and transportation to and from the United States originally when Panama was a part of Colombia. This is why they helped Panama's revolution to become its own independent country. If they had good relations and Panama went as planned, the US could finally build the canal they wanted so badly. The canal now allows transportation of many of the goods we purchase and use today here in the United States.
The US government had imposed tariff policies that set a higher price on imported (foreign) manufactured goods. Because the South was an agricultural economy, it either had to ship down form the North or import from other countries most of the finished goods it consumed. Either option increased the cost of goods for Southerners over the prices paid by Northerners. Because the North was a largely industrial economy, and because raw materials imported for manufacturing were not subject to tariffs, the North faced no such burden. Additionally, because there was no income tax at this time, federal gov't revenue depended largely on tariff revenue -- which meant it was paid disproportionately by the South. This revenue was spent on railroads in the North and in other ways that unfairly benefitted the North while largely ignoring infrastructure and development in the South. South Carolina threatened secession as far back as 1828 over the unfair burden of the protective tariffs.
The best option would be "<span>C. President, executive departments, individual federal agencies," since the Executive Branch of the US government is headed by the President and run by his cabinet, along with other agencies. </span>
