Analyze The Causes Of The Civil War Essay

Dan Leise The Civil War was a defining event in American history that can be understood by examining the controversies that the role of slavery and its westward expansion had between the North and the South. The Antebellum years from 1845-1861 were the most chaotic because of significant economic and political struggles, the most divisive being the debate over slavery.
The expansion of slavery into newly claimed western territories intensified the fragile political situation and increased the sectional tensions between the North and the South. The North strongly opposed pro-slavery ideology, believing slavery is morally wrong and did not want to compete with slave-owners in the newly acquired western territories. The South viewed slavery a part of their traditional way of life and essential to their economic success on the plantations. The North and the South attempted to maintain an equal balance of representatives in the Congress. Both sides
Stephen Douglas created a bill which made Kansas and Nebraska vote whether they were to be free or slave. The issue was the Missouri Compromise created the line for slavery the southern border of Missouri and Nebraska and Kansas, being north of the border, caused tension to increase between the North and South. In order to influence the vote in Kansas, Missourians purchased land in Kansas and voted pro-slavery. With Kansas’ Free Soilers and Missourians Pro-slavery movement competing for the vote, the tensions caused violence in the conflict known as Bleeding Kansas. Bleeding Kansas was the turning point which reversed the resolution from compromises to violence. The violence in Kansas introduced the Republican party to stop western expansion of slavery. The Bleeding Kansas conflict initiated substantial tension between the North and the South as the nation becomes closer and closer to