Civil War Causes

Causes of the American Civil War “The American Civil War.” What comes to your mind when you hear those words? Slavery controversy, power struggles, fighting, and destruction? Well, all of those are accurate. The American Civil War was a devastating division of the United States of America that lasted for three long, bloody years. More than likely, when someone thinks about causes of the American Civil War they automatically think slavery. Slavery in America began in the early 17th Century. The majority of slaves came from Africa against their will and were forced to work on plantations under horrible conditions. This went on for a very long time, and as the demand for cotton and tobacco grew slavery in the South became the foundation of
Another cause of the American Civil War was the fight for whether the government would value federal rights over states’ rights. Economic and Social differences caused the Northern States to view certain subjects differently than the Southern States. The South was also afraid that they would be outnumbered in Congressional representation and not properly exhibited. However, the Constitution allows each slave to be counted as three-fifths of a person for population count, which in turn gave the South the advantage when it came to representation. In 1857, the Dred Scott Decision declared the “freed” Negroes did not have citizenship. Northerners were very shaken by this and the South attempted to force them to return freed or runaway slaves to their owners. Not too long after, Abraham Lincoln, an anti-slavery Republican, was elected into presidency. He was convinced that slavery would never be allowed to be adopted in new territories and will ultimately be abolished. His victory ensured the South that they had drawn the short end of the stick. This sparked a fire in the South and they fell to their only other alternative. South Carolina published its “Declaration of the Causes of Secession.” They knew Abraham Lincoln was anti-slavery and believed he would give preferentiality to northern interests. His election resulted in the secession of eleven southern
Increasingly, people started to follow the precedent of being against slavery and slaveholders. Several events pushed this such as, Uncle Tom’s Cabin being published, the Dred Scott Case, John Brow’s Raid On Harpers Ferry, and the passage of the fugitive slave act. The fugitive slave act held all citizens responsible for sheltering fugitive slaves even if they were located in a non-slave state. As the hatred for slavery grew among United States citizens so did the tension and the feeling of upcoming war.
The American Civil War is often referred to as “America’s Bloodiest Conflict.” Over 620,000 men were killed, all of whom were American soldiers. Power, difference of opinion, arguments over slavery, and fear of being the minority killed over 620,000 humans. The American Civil War was a time of destruction, slaughter, and massacre. The American Civil war brought pain and suffering to a young nation from April 12, 1861 to May 9,