The Civil War was the most divisive war in American history. In the early 1800s, the United States experienced a growth of nationalism and unity, but it was replaced by sectionalism, leading to the Civil War. There were many reasons why the South wanted to secede, reasons the North wanted to maintain the Union, and the controversy surrounding slavery and steps taken to abolish it.…
Sectionalism played a major role in causing the Civil War. The North and South became very divided over slavery, which was the main cause of the Civil War. For example, the North wanted to completely abolish slavery because the people believed it was morally wrong. On the other hand, the South wanted to keep slavery because it was the only way their economy would survive, plus they thought they were morally wrong. The split between the two sides began way before the Civil War, over slavery, during the Constitutional Conventions, but eventually grew deeper as the country grew.…
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.…
The civil war was only about slavery to the South. However, most people in the South had nothing to do with slavery. Slavery was an issue only for the very wealthy. The South rebelled because a few wealthy folk preyed upon the ignorant masses in order to keep their investments low and profits high. Unfortunately, the war did not change this. Ending slavery didn't fix the problems. We still had the problem of education and poor chance for a good wage, for whites or blacks. Following the civil war, the rich elite simply sought to pit poor whites against poor blacks, while exploiting both. This practice continues to this…
I had originally thought that the main cause of the Civil War was slavery; however, after my research I now believe the true cause of the Civil War is much more complex. I mostly agree with agree with Holt and his theory that the political crisis caused the Civil War. While reading Holt’s essay I became convinced that slavery alone couldn’t have caused the Civil War because the tension over slavery had existed for so long before the Civil War. It was the destruction of the previous two party system that left the South feeling politically stranded which lead to the Civil War. This viewpoint was supported by my research on Jefferson Davis for the meeting of the minds. Davis felt that the South was losing faith in the political system because…
There are countless disputes about what truly was at fault for the Confederate secession of 1861, from the weighted morality question of slavery to the differences in social structures. However, the Civil War was not about agreeing on societal customs or the abolishment of slavery. Freeing the slaves was an advantage but certainly not the goal. Like so many circumstances pertaining to American interests, the internal strife was due to the dynamic shift in the economic and governing power the states were experiencing, seemingly, all at once. Northern industrialization had allowed the production of exports to spread to the northern region, a fact that allowed the country to, for the first time, lessen their reliance on the South for economic…
The subject of slavery was not the initial cause of the Civil War, but played a major role in how the war played out. The war was started when six southern states seceded all at once, and Confederate soldiers…
During the expansion westward of United States, controversy between the Northern and the Southern States quickly arose. This was primarily due to the disagreement of what these new western territories would become- free or slave states. The Southern States wanted these new territories to support slavery so they could send more pro-slavery senators/ representatives to Congress, which was the opposite for the Northern States. Many important events from 1845-1861 quickly led to the start of the Civil War due to these Northern and Southern disputes.…
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.…
The Civil War legacy still has an impact on Americans today. Today, most Americans look at the Civil War in an awe-inspired perspective. People try to skip over the blood and ugliness that resulted because of it, and instead try to focus on the courage and heroic deeds that soldiers performed. Many today are more likely to view the war as a fight for black freedom instead of for state’s rights, which is what it had previously been known for. The South still seems proud of the Confederate flag, even though it is the cause of a lot of controversy. Some people view it as part of their heritage. Certain topics of the Civil War are still well-known throughout society. Abraham Lincoln, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation proclamation are all examples of what people associate with the Civil War. People try to remember iconic people and images like these, instead of the blood, gore, and hate that took place.…
The country was divided into two groups, which were known as slave holders and abolitionists. Due to the desire of the south they wanted to acquire slaves for cheap, the North didn’t feel at ease with the situation, so the two groups were separated geographically. On the other hand, the North was not any economy based off agriculture or unskilled laborers because there economy was not dependent upon slaves. The North felt that there was no need for slaves, and they didn’t see slavery as fair or dignified. The South relied on slaves as a base of production; they use them to operate large farms and large cotton plantations. Many people tried to come up with a solution to the issue of slavery with compositions and bills that lay down laws to come into agreement with both sides. What made it happen was the Missouri Compromise. This document was able to set the standards during the time. It was also able to divide the country into two different groups geographically by a system called the 36 degree 30 minute line. This bill clearly stated that no states above the proposed line shall have slavery, with exception to those already in existence. This meant that all new states being brought into the country from different directions had an opportunity to have slavery if they lay below the line. Of course, the south wasn’t behind the idea, as it allowed the northern non-slave states to outnumber the…
There has always been a number of circulating myths about the American Civil War. We need to dig deep and find out if these myths are true. Did the South HATE black people? Did Robert E. Lee hate America? Was the civil war all about slavery? Did the South start the civil war? All of these myths are to be revealed.…
The causes of the Civil War are many, the obvious being slavery, however that is merely on the surface. The underlying causes were far more detrimental to the health of the union, the main cause being money. The economic disputes between the North and the South, which were partially over slavery, were the root to the South seceding. The resentment felt by the South towards the North, because of the growth of cities, ports, and the economy there in general, in addition to the idea of the abolishment of slavery, which would put a serious dent into the economy of the South which was already struggling led them to secede. It has been said that money is the root of all evil, and it certainly is in this case.…
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…
A common assumption to explain the cause of the American Civil War was that the North was no longer willing to tolerate slavery as being part of the fabric of US society. Also, that the political power brokers in Washington were planning to abolish slavery throughout the Union. Therefore for many people slavery is the key issue to explain the causes of the American Civil War. However, it is not as simple as this and slavery, while a major issue, was not the only issue that pushed America into the Great American Tragedy. By April 1861, slavery had become hopelessly entangled and complex with state rights, the power of the federal government over the states and the South’s way of life – all of which made a major contribution to the causes of…