Preview

Cause Of War: The Tensions Of The Civil War

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1396 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cause Of War: The Tensions Of The Civil War
The Tensions behind the Civil War
During 1783-1859, before the Civil War, the North and South were slowly drifting apart between their cultural, economic, political, and religious tensions which eventually lead to the American Civil War, but it was ultimately due to the single issue of slavery. Proof of these tensions can be found in many primary sources including: “Slavery a Positive Good” by John C. Calhoun, “The Church and Slavery” by Albert Barnes, “A Debate on Slavery” by Nathan Lewis Rice, “My Bondage and My Freedom” by Frederick Douglass, and “The Young Abolitionists; Or Conversations on Slavery” by J. Elizabeth Jones. In the end, all of these disagreements about the rights of states led to the Civil War.
The main tension causing area …show more content…
The South was mostly Baptist and the North was mostly Catholic. Though the war itself was mainly fought over slavery, the motivation behind it was people’s faith. Soldiers not only prayed before, during and after battles, but they were allowed to have their bibles with them. While the South tended to turn to religion when the movement of ending slavery came up, they believed that slaves were sent from God to serve white man, though they often justified their beliefs and actions through Bible verses. They deemed that slavery was actually helping spread Christianity and that they were if fact helping these slaves, because they were gave them food and clothes. Their defense for their religious views of slavery being God’s plan for the nation was that Southerners treated the slaves as part of their Christian communities by teaching them about God and worshipping with them. They made their power over the slaves seem like power of parents instead of masters. While the North believed that God viewed slavery as morally wrong and wanted an end to it according to the Bible, yet they could not really prove this idea without discrediting the Bible. The North shared a common view of the Civil War being caused so American can recognize the fault of the founding fathers and get back to idea of freedom through a Puritan lens, not a naturalistic lens. This prompted the Northern view that God had a plan for a unified American and He was going to find a way to settle the war. Both sides had growing differences due to the fact that each side viewed that their society was the best option a republic through Christian virtues. Each feared that the other threatened liberty and order brought upon by
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels
    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Michael Shaara's The Killer Angels

    The North (Union) fought on for the sake of keeping the country united under one flag and one leader. Their ideas were like those of the northern abolitionists – they opposed the ideas of slavery being continued and fought to give the blacks the freedom that they ever so rightfully deserved. This reason to go to war, although just, was a very weak call to arms for many of the union soldiers. They constantly debated on whether it was really worth putting their lives on the line for a union that was already broken. The South fought for the people dwelling within – for their families and neighbors. “He fought for his people, for the children and the kin,” (Shaara…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did Harriet Beecher Stoowe Influence The Civil War
    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages

    How Did Harriet Beecher Stoowe Influence The Civil War

    The other main reasons are the control of the government, economy, states' rights, abolitionism, and the election of 1860. Although the focus revolved around slavery a lot of the tension that led to the war was from how the South felt it had no power when it came to making decisions. “As new states were added to the Union, a series of compromises were arrived at to maintain an equal number of “free” and “slave” states” (Hickman 1). However; as new states were added they were all being declared “free” states without the South having any say in the matter. Fearing they were losing power the South turned to the states' rights argument, stating that the federal government didn't have the right to change the laws of slavery in states whom already own slaves (Ayers). Things grew worse during the abolitionist movements which called for an end for slavery, whether it be immediate or gradual. This caused many disputes among the people which often led to biblical disputes (Hickman1). Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin should the cruelty of the Fugitive Slave Act and gave support to the abolitionist movement. The election of 1860 was the final straw. With the election of Abraham Lincoln as president, they feared all was about to change. “The North with its growing population and increased electoral power had achieved what the South had always feared: complete control of the government by the free states”(Hickman 2). After the election the South immediately began to discuss seceding from the Union. The secession of the South was the ultimate leading factor for the North to go to war, in order to keep the country united…

    • 775 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Did The North Win The Civil War
    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page

    Why Did The North Win The Civil War

    Because slaves fought for the South, many slaves were not fighting for what they believe in, while the North had more and passionate soldiers fighting for the North’s stance. Furthermore, the North’s expansion…

    • 199 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    DBQ Civil War
    • 855 Words
    • 3 Pages

    DBQ Civil War

    The Civil War started due to the differences between the free and slave states over the power of the national government to prohibit slavery in territories that were not states yet. The North was known for their industries at the time. The population was much larger when compared to the South. Their political views were mostly republican. Most Northerners were opposed to the slavery that was being established in the South. However, the South viewed slaves as an economic instrument. The South was based on agriculture and produced much of the nations staple crops and cotton. Abraham Lincoln was president of the United States of the time. However, to the southerners they looked to Jefferson Davis. Fort Sumpter was the starting point of the hostilities between North and South.…

    • 855 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Dred Scott Decision Essay
    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Dred Scott Decision Essay

    The North and the South had very different views on slavery which only grew stronger and separated the two regions leading up to the Civil War. As the Union gained more land the big question was whether the new land would be considered a slave state or a free state. The South needed slaves to do hard labor on their land to keep the economy growing. The North did not have a need for slaves. They feared that allowing slavery in the North would increase large plantations in the area which would threaten their own growing industrial economy. An underlying issue with the South was the fear that the federal government would take control over the individual states and their rights, especially concerning slavery.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Lincoln’s Emancipation Working with the Abolitionist Movement
    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Lincoln’s Emancipation Working with the Abolitionist Movement

    The South, also known as the Confederates, supported slavery. The North, also known as the Union, was anti-slavery, and made every effort that they could to cease it. Most southern white Americans feared that elimination of the slavery institution would be very harmful for social and economic growth, and threaten their livelihood. Karl Marx once said,…

    • 1353 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Why Did The North And South Cause The Civil War
    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Why Did The North And South Cause The Civil War

    One of the reasons for the South fighting against North is slavery, one of the main reasons for the war. In the split of the North and South, the South developed tensions and is angered because of abolitionism. Abolitionism is a belief of freeing all slaves. The South is so angered because in plantations, slaves are their cheapest work and they earn more money when they…

    • 264 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Similarities And Differences Between The Regions Of The United States
    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Similarities And Differences Between The Regions Of The United States

    Most Northerners and some Southerners wanted to take away their slaves, but many southerners believed that without slaves the South simply could not function. They all wanted to protect their own way of…

    • 683 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    How Did The South Lead To The Civil War
    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages

    How Did The South Lead To The Civil War

    It is often assumed that the civil war was based solely on the existance of slavery in the south. This assumption is generally made by people who are not fully educated on the topic, and are unable to fully understand each of the different factors that led to the civil war. While slavery did play an important role in the disunion of the north and south, the war itself was caused by disunion and disunion alone (Schweitzer, Jeff). The largest factors leading to the war composed of state's rights, followed by disagreement on tarriffs. The primary difference between the north and south was not the fact that the north wanted to abolish slavery, but more of the fact that the south was primarily agriculturally based around cotton. The north were industrialized and would typically manufacture the cotton (Foote, Shelby 26).…

    • 690 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Civil War Essay: The Major Contributing Factors to the Civil War
    • 888 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Civil War Essay: The Major Contributing Factors to the Civil War

    If asked, most people would blame as the cause of the civil war the issue of slavery. This is understandable; many people in the U.S. at the time were against slavery, going to far as to help runaway slaves escape to the free north. But, while slavery at face value was a major factor, international politics and economics played a major role. Several factors, including the election of Lincoln, the raid on Harper 's Ferry, the Dred Scott decision, and, most importantly, the fugitive slave law, contributed to the growing rift between the North and South and, eventually, the Civil War.…

    • 888 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Civil War: The Cause Of Slavery
    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Civil War: The Cause Of Slavery

    First, slavery was more of a symbol then a reason of conflict in the Civil War. The South was completely devoted to an agrarian plantation economy, relying heavily on the farming of cotton to stimulate the economy. The North however, was going in a much different direction. They were relying on industrialization and a high number of immigrants from European countries to build up industries. By doing this, the North was gaining control of the government and killing the South’s efforts to maintain a balanced government. Also, after the Mexican/American War, the Missouri Compromise went into effect allowing slavery in western territories. Furthermore, the South felt that the slaves were more property than anything. They said that the federal government was prohibited by the tenth amendment by basically taking away the right to take…

    • 599 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Slavery North Vs South
    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Slavery North Vs South

    The north and the south during the time leading up to the civil war had vastly different opinions when it came to slavery. The north as a majority wanted to stop slavery and free the black man making them part of the USA's culture, while the south wanted to maintain their steady economy and expand upon it creating more profit for their already profitable staple of slavery. Both of these clashing ideals would eventually lead to the civil war where a catastrophic amount of…

    • 987 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Economic Causes Of The Civil War
    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Economic Causes Of The Civil War

    The north and south went to war mainly because of differences between the northern and southern economic interests. A big difference in economic interests was slavery. Slavery was viewed by the north and the south very differently. The growing season of the south was perfect for…

    • 1078 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Racial Equality In The Civil War
    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Racial Equality In The Civil War

    Each side raised their children to have the same racial views as them, if you grew up with parents who owned slaves, you were most likely going to see them as less of a citizen then if you grew up in the north, where there were none. In the South, the children typically recived less education then the children in the North. In the North there were schools and churches everywhere so many kids were expected and able to attend, in the south school was mainly for the kids whos parents owned plantations. However they had a common ground: the roles of a women. Before the civil war all women stayed home to clean, cook and take care of the kids; women "depended on their husband".…

    • 710 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Cause And Effects Of The Civil War Essay
    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Cause And Effects Of The Civil War Essay

    One cause of the Civil War was that the North wanted to preserve the constitution while the South wanted a new government. The North even put some people in jail for voting to Secede from the Union. The founding fathers’ ideals were to create a government that would last the test of time. The South believed that they needed their own government, while the North believed that in order to stay…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics