Broadly speaking, the Civil War arose because of the fact that northerners and southerners became divided over various political, economic and social issues during the early nineteenth century. This phenomenon, known as “sectionalism,” came about mainly because of the differences in the economic structures of the north and the south. As Klein says in this regard, the conflict between the two sections of the country were increased “as the northern states moved increasingly into commerce and manufacturing while the southern states expanded their agricultural economy into a plantation system based on slave labor” (36). Because of the differences in these two economic systems, northerners generally took one side on important political issues while southerners generally took the opposing side, creating animosity between the two. This sectionalism that eventually led to full-on secession and the Civil War between the north and south quickly escalated due to many issues, including economics and politics, but much of the divide lied on the issue of slavery. …show more content…
Southerners objected to the northerners’ views in debates on these issues, because they felt that the individual states should have more say in making political decisions, rather than having the federal government dictate laws for all of the states. In addition, most southerners felt that changes proposed by northerners were designed to benefit northern industries at the sake of southern agriculture. As Fehrenbacher says, one of the major reasons for “Southern disaffection” in the years prior to the war was the “sense of having been reduced to economic vassalage by the commercial and industrial interests of the Northeast”
In the early to mid 19th century, the country was at a major divide. Slavery was still allowed federally, but many northern states had decided to outlaw it in their own region. With new states coming into the union, each side hoped to gain control of the government and attempt to push their agenda. The civil war was a direct result of a north-south political and cultural divide exemplified with arguments abouts which states could be allowed into the union with slavery.
When we look back at the sectional division of the North and the South in the mid 19th century, one issue stands out as causing the most tension, slavery. However, there were other issues as well, but they all stem back to slavery because the South depended on that in order to have a successful economy. Despite their disagreements over the practice and laws regarding slavery, that reason alone led the South to secede from the Union, which caused the Civil War.
If asking an average person on what started the Civil War, one would probably answer with slavery. However, there were several other reasons for why the Civil War took place. The South wanted to succeed mainly for the same reason the Colonies succeeded from British Powers. The South wanted their independence. The South wanted to escape the tariffs that were being placed on them by Andrew Jackson, just as the British were putting tariffs on the colonies. The tariffs created a very hostile atmosphere that was pushing the states’ decisions to secede from the Union. These tariffs would reduce the amount of money the South could take in, because foreign countries could not afford to buy much cotton because lack of their exported income from the tariffs. Vice President, John Calhoun proposed that the states have the right to nullify a federal law that not only can protect the welfare of the states but it also violated the Constitution. Once Calhoun proposed this nullification, to the South it became clear that the North could wield power that could damage the South’s economy. The South believed that they were fighting against a tyrannical government that the North were subjugating and enslaving them. The South really disliked the high taxes, which isn’t it one of the main reasons that our previous generations fought against in the Revolutionary
Among the economies of the north and south arose many conflicts that led to the tension of the Civil War in 1861. In the 1800s, slavery was a major sectional issue. Northerners were strongly opposed to slavery unlike the south's belief that slavery was economically beneficial.
The Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1877, was mainly caused by the diverging society between the North and the South. The North and the South had different goals. There were many factors that led to the war and the chief ones were political and economic differences between the North and the South. The North’s aggression to control the South had led to the point where it was intolerable. The issue on slavery was one of the causes of the Civil War. Slavery and slave trades had become a big part of the South’s economy. The slaves were needed to work on plantations which helped the South prospered. During the 19th Century, the North worked hard on abolishing slavery, which they thought was a disgrace to the Union.
The primary source of the Civil War has been a topic widely debated for years with people arguing from states rights to sectionalism as the reason behind one of America’s most devastating wars. Although there were many things that factored into the war such as sectionalism, slavery, economics, and disagreement over the national policy, it all boiled down to disagreement over states rights developing slavery and governmental control. Eli Whitney’s invention of the Cotton Gin in 1793 helped cotton become very profitable and helped to drive the economy at the time. In the South the invention of the Cotton Gin brought a higher demand for cheap slave labor and a plantation based economy unlike the North who had become an industry shaped economy
There were many problems, events, and situations that led to the Civil War. One of the major reasons for the outbreak of the war was sectionalism. Once the United States was split, many of the country's fundamental issues were disputed, with slavery being at the top of the list. Some of the other major issues in dispute were representation, tariffs, and states' rights. Sectionalism is defined as, the sharp socio-economic differences that divided the Northern and the Southern states in the U.S.
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
Sectionalism was ultimately the main cause of the civil war. Sectionalism is occurs when an individual identifies with a geographic section of the United States based on their culture, social, economical, and political interests of that section. Sectionalism eventually caused the division of the nation, and created parts of the nation, which were the Union and the Confederation. As the tensions progressed, the government strived to unite the divided nation by establishing different legislation to satisfy each section; however, multiple historical events, such as the Election of Abraham Lincoln, the passing of the Kansas Nebraska Act, etc, interrupted the balancing act within the divided nation. The tensions between these sections eventually built up and caused the Civil War to occur. The Civil War was caused by the various economical differences within the nation, the conflict between the legality of slavery, and the political disputes in Congress over issues during that time.
From the birth of the United States, the country was always divided into two regions, North and South. The North benefited from industry, machines, factories, and even a bit of farming in the Midwest, while the South benefited from one thing. Slaves. Slaves were first brought from Africa as indentured servants, but once the demand of labor increased, they were changed into slaves, meaning they would never earn their freedom. The debate of slavery had always been a topic in politics, however it began growing with the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. Soon in 1860, the country was divided into two seperate countries, the United States of America (North) and the Confederate States of America (South). However, the question still remains, what exactly caused the Civil War?
The Civil War was caused by many several pressures, principles, and prejudices, fueled by sectional differences, and was finally set into motion by a most unlikely set of political events. From economic differences to political differences all the way up to cultural differences, the North and the South opposed each other. These tensions were further increased after the western expansion of the United States. By the early 1850’s a civil war was known to be likely coming soon.
There were several events that lead to the American Civil War. The Northern states wanted African Americans to be free from slavery, while the Southern states wanted to continue owning them. The Northern states didn’t need slaves for their economy to thrive, as opposed to the Southern states, where their economy relied heavily on the slave’s free labor. Both sides also argued on whether or not the newly acquired states should be free states or slave states, but since the North’s population growth exceeded the South’s, they had more power in the government. The Northern sates had most of the electoral votes and that
In the early to mid 1800s, the north and south of the United States weren’t so united. The southern states, which included states such as Louisiana, Mississippi and Georgia, believed that slavery was an important factor in the development of plantations. The development of free states and slave states contributed to The Civil War in the way that they were the ones fighting the war. The free states wanted to keep all of the states together while the slave states wanted to make their own laws and rules. While arguing about whether or not to keep the states together as a whole, The Civil War broke out, but eventually the free states, or northerners, won.
The civil war was mainly sparked by tensions between the north and the south. Both sides rarely agreed on topics and could never make a compromise. Slavery was a big reason for the start of the civil war, but the causes don’t end there. Although some may say that political or economic reasons started the civil war between the north and the south, political reasons were the real cause. This is because of important decisions made by the government, and the south seceding.
Slavery was the most important cause of the Civil War, because this single issue divided the North and South to begin with. The ideological differences between the North and South led to economic differences, conflicts over newly acquired territories, disputes over the constitution, and political extremism. The Election of 1860 was the culmination of these disputes and caused the South to secede in 1861 and guided the way towards the Civil War.