Did constitutions matter during the American Civil War?

This thesis examines the US Constitution and the Confederate Constitutions (provisional and final) with attention to how each document may have hindered each respective central government in its ability to win the American Civil War. I find that the Confederate States disregarded several provisions, even though in some cases this led to loss of revenue that could have allowed for more adequate supply of its armies. Ultimately, non-constitutional discretionary factors primarily account for the Confederacy’s defeat in the Civil War, however constitutional institutions did hamper the Confederacy's ability to raise revenue from internal taxation and recruit soldiers.