Civil War Dbq Essay

There are numerous long term and short term events that caused the Civil War to occur. From the long term impacts of slavery and the Missouri Compromise to the short term effects of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Bleeding Kansas, the Civil War was caused mainly by one significant step. Although Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Dred Scott had an impact on the civil war, it was not as significant as the election of 1860. The election was the most important event because it lead to the secession of South Carolina and also because of the drastic differences in ideology between the north and the south. The Dred Scott decision would lead to the ratification of the 14th amendment.*
The election of 1860 directly lead to the secession of South Carolina from the Union.
The Dred Scott decision was a huge case that went to the supreme court after Dred Scott had won the appeal in a lower court.* It turns out that Dred Scott lost the case because the chief justice at the time ruled in favor of Sanford. (historical context) (Doc 4) Although the Dred Scott decision had an impact on the war it was not as significant as the election of 1860 because it did not immediately cause the start of the Civil War like the election of 1860 did. Others may say that the publishing of Uncle Tom’s Cabin was significant step because it showed many people the horrific life of a slave and convinced many to become abolitionists. (Perspective) (Doc 2) Although this book may have played a factor in the start of the civil war, it was not as significant because it just angered southerners while most northerners were convinced to become abolitionists.* Many people think that these were some of the most significant steps to the Civil War, however I disagree because most of these events just built tension and the event that was really significant and caused the start of the Civil War was the election of