The cause of the American Civil War is known as one of the most controversial topics in American history. During the time period leading up to and during the Civil War period there were many issues that increasingly divided Americans. Since the founding of the colonies, the thirteen states had developed separately, and each had their own culture and beliefs creating large divides between the ideas held in the different states. The geographical and cultural differences between north and south would also start to create divides throughout the hundred years following the drafting of the constitution. The Union was constantly undergoing changes in order to be better and create an ideal lifestyle for Americans, yet the South did not agree with many of these changes and decided …show more content…
The differences in views and ideals created a large divide between the North and South, eventually leading to the South’s secession from the Union and creating chaos throughout the country.
With the creation of more and more states, debates on whether a state would enter as free or slave. The politics of slavery during this time were tied to the ideas surrounding manifest destiny. Therefore the United States decided that it would need to contain balance meaning there could never be freer than slave states, or more slave than free states. In order to maintain that balance, leaders from both the North and South created compromises that these leaders hoped would prevent the issue of slavery from creating further disagreements between the North and the South. They first created the Missouri Compromise in order to address the issues involving the balance between free and slave states. In 1819, Missouri applied to the Union as a slave state and by doing that it would tip the balance of power in the Senate where the count of free and slave states was eleven a
At the time, the United States contained twenty-two states, evenly divided between slave and free. In the years leading up to the Missouri Compromise of 1820, tensions began to rise between proslavery and antislavery factions within the U.S. Congress and across the country. They reached a boiling point after Missouri’s 1819 request for admission to the Union as a slave state, which threatened to upset the delicate balance between slave states and free states. To keep the peace, Congress came up with a two-part compromise, granting Missouri’s request but also admitting Maine as a free state. It also passed an amendment that drew an imaginary line across the former Louisiana Territory, establishing a boundary between free and slave regions that remained the law of the land until it was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.
In 1819, two more states wishing to join the union, were Missouri and Maine. Missouri wanted to join the union in the in the north, but as a slave state. this would make the balance of power in congress unequal. Many northerners opposed this idea. Northerners proposed that Missouri be a slave state and that no more slaves were to be brought in, and all slave children would be free at age 25. Eventually Missouri would be a free state. Southerners were opposed to this idea. Congress debated for months. This brought about the Missouri Compromise of 1820, when Henry Clay proposed that Maine enter the union as a free state. He also proposed prohibiting slavery above the 36’30’ latitude, which is the southern boundary of Missouri. Since plantations would not be able to survive further north of this line, the South agreed.
In the early 1800s, it appeared that these political battles could be decided with congressional compromises. Document A, also known as the Missouri Compromise, was created in 1820 to address the new state of Missouri. Whether or not Missouri was a slave state or free would be a watershed event, as from the onset it appeared one side would have more power in Congress. However, Henry Clay, one of the most famous congressmen of the time, was able to split up Massachusetts in order to create a new free state, Maine. With Maine being free, Missouri could join as a slave state, and both sides were appeased. However, no side was ever truly appeased, with Kansas-Nebraska act eventually repealing the Missouri compromise in 1854, only 34 years later. It is true that many more states were added into the union in those 34 years, such as Texas, California, and New Mexico. However, the Missouri compromise itself was not thought out for the long term, as it designated a single latitude line to divide the slave and free
Many people think that the Civil War was fought only because of slavery. Could other things have contributed to the cause of war? The Civil War was a four year battle between the Union and the Confederacy. There were many events that may have helped lead America in the war. These events include: economic issues, cultural and social issues, and political issues.
First, the North and South had very different political beliefs. Southern society strayed from that of the North. The South’s fight
The civil war was an ugly fight between the North, which was called the Union, they were against slavery, and the South who were called the Confederacy, they were for slavery.
The time leading up to the Civil War was plagued by extreme sectionalism between the North and South caused by major social disagreements, as well as economic and political differences. The differences between the regions contributed both to the start of the war and the war’s outcome. In the years 1861-1865, the North and South each had significant advantages and disadvantages during the Civil War. Although the South’s passion for the “southern cause” was very strong, the Union also presented a huge commitment to the war and their values.
Between the period 1860-1877 the Civil war has had a consequential impact on the United States. Economically, the Northern United States rose with the use of industrialization, however the South remained economically decrepit and continued to be so decades after the war. Politically, the United States dealt with controversy over the power of the government. Socially, black people were granted rights in the Constitution but the emergence of certain policies put a limit on their rights and the intimidation from white supremacy groups prevented them from putting their new rights to use. The overall impact of the Civil War on the United States was the economic development and devastation, increased government power, and restraints on rights meant
The Civil War was a conflict that helped shape America to become the country it is today. Though its foundation and origination are debated, historians agree that it was deadlier for Americans than the American Revolution, World War I, World War II, and Vietnam War. The North and South differed in many aspects, slavery being the most controversial. The South’s persistency and “free-labor” ideology, contrasted with the North’s attempts to stop its spread into their own region. Such mass destruction and casualties derived from conflicting issues that only grew as time went on, and with no room for compromises, war was irrepressible.
he Civil War was the greatest battle in American History; that lasted from 1861 to 1865. It began after the secession of eleven Southern states from the Union, and their first attack on the government. The basis of this war was primarily over the abolition of Slavery, State rights and the election of president Lincoln. The aftermath has mainly impacted the South as they were the source of the problem. Due to most battles being held in the South, crops were burnt, mills destroyed and houses were demolished. They became in a critical state; without the excess labor that slaves provided, their economy collapsed and they were unable to rebuild themselves. An immense loss of properties was approximately worth 2.5 billion dollars . Additionally estates, factories and
The Civil War is an important event that took place between the Northern states, the Union, and the Southern states that separated from the Union and from there on the Confederacy was created. This war is more commonly known as the war between states and is classified as the War for Southern independence. Reconstruction refers to the following era that consisted of rebuilding the United States. The Reconstruction era was full of confusion and pain Chapter eight titled “Changes in a Young Nation”, asks the question of whether or not these changes that were brought to the table opened doors of opportunities for all the American citizens. This chapter goes into detail about the expansion of the United States and how it all started.
The Civil War was one of America’s greatest battle the has happened in U.S. history. Now what if President Abraham Lincoln had lived? Now as many americans remember the event that happened at Ford Theater on April 14, 1865 right, but what if John Wilkes Booth missed his shot, or what if President Abraham Lincoln had stayed home instead of following his wife's wishes for a night of fun.
“The Civil war was a turning point in American history, one that helped define who Americans are today.” There were many deaths and sacrifices by all of the soldiers who participated in the war. There lives and their futures were at stake, but the still fought, because they believed in what they were fighting for. However, the Civil War made a dramatic change in how all American citizens were treated, due to their efforts.
The Civil War was a time of fighting within the United States brought on by many events including the Missouri Compromise, abolition movement, presidential election of 1860, secession of Southern states, and other occurrences. Most Southern states seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America. The big divide stemmed from the differing positions on slavery. The North had been gradually abolishing slavery and did not depend on such free labor in the way the South did. The agricultural dependant economy of the South relied on African American labor. Therefore, each side feared the stance the government would take on the issue of slavery and how that would affect the economy and politics of the nation. From 1861 to 1865, the
Sectional conflict between the North and South was the very platform of the birth of the Civil War. Slavery was a prominent dispute that played a large role in the differences throughout the U.S. at this time, but there were other causes as well including economic and social differences and the election of Abraham Lincoln. In the midst of various events in the 1850s, it was the southern secession that began the true separation of the Union and the Confederacy, which showed the reality and quickness of the arrival of the Civil War in the United States.