The Approaching Fury : Voices Of The Storm

Throughout the course of history, one of the most pivotal points was the American Revolution. The independence the colonies gained from England allowed for the creation of the way we live today. However, it is important to know that while some aspects of our country today are based on rules set during the revolution, America, as we know it today, was shaped drastically by the Civil war. The Civil war acted as a second revolution in our country, pushing us closer to how society is now. Historians have wondered what caused the Civil War, was it a matter of slavery? Politics? Or another underlying issue? Historians such as James McPherson, William Gienapp, and Susan-Mary Grant have explored events that occurred before the Civil war and ultimately describe why the South succeeded.

Between Constitutional ratification and southern secession, the United States increasingly developed sectional tensions between North and South. Regional differences and territorial expansion created the conflict of interests between the states. Proslavery southern and antislavery northern states envisioned their economical and political future in different ways. The question of slavery during the westward expansion was decisive for politics of both sides because more slave states would create voting advantages for the slaveholding states in the Congress. Northwestern territories were occupied by the new settlers from New England who established urbanized culture and infrastructure in Upstate New York and the Upper Northwest. New settlers in the Lower South organized farms and plantations to develop agricultural sector. Slavery was the main labor force in the South. With technological and transportation development, it became easier to migrate in the search of new territories. In the first half of the nineteenth century, the North supported industrialization and manufacturing, while the South was mostly focused on the agricultural development. The whole economy of the southern states depended largely on the cotton production. For many years, the issues of slavery, human rights and racial inequality were the main topics for discussion by people, and the expansion of borders in the beginning of the nineteenth century intensified discussions around these questions. The

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.

Each time new territory was acquired by the United States, the troublesome question of slavery was raised. Many people in the anti-slavery faction of the North and West persisted in thinking that slavery in the territories would result in the economic superiority of the South and the demise of free enterprise.

William W. Freehling's book The South vs. The South: How Anti-Confederate Southerners Shaped the Course of the Civil War tells a unique story about the Civil War and one that is not typically discussed in history books. The book is about divisions within the southern culture, which might have led to the outcome of the war in favor of the Union. Perhaps all black southerners had a vested interest in the North's victory, but many white southerners felt the same way for many reasons. In The South vs. The South, Freehling discusses the way the Union used divisions in the south as a war strategy, such as by recruiting potentially neutral Americans living in border states. Recruiting soldiers from border states and western states with less entrenched plantation cultures versus their Dixie counterparts was one of Lincoln's key strategies and also helped General Grant secure some key military victories.

One key difference between the North and South was the North’s abundance of cheap labor. Between 1845 and 1855 around 3 million people immigrated to the US (304). This new influx of people brought large quantities of low waged factory, mine and construction workers to the Northern states just in time to aid in the industrial revolution. Contrary to the North, southern states still relied heavily on slave labor as their economy was dependent on cash crops. Furthermore, slavery was not only an economic institution but now a way of life for Southerners. Therefore, slavery was more widely accepted and condoned as it was both a way of life and an economic institution. However, Northerners did not experience this way of life or rely on slave labor. Due to this, Northerners we more eager to expel slavery. Northerners’ discontentment with slavery created negative responses to the Compromise of 1850 as opposed to the Southerners. One of the five federal laws in the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, disabled Northerners’ to remain impartial to the slavery conflict (315). The Compromise strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act, forcing Northerners to return

For four years, Americans fought against one another on the battlefield. This war would come to make up the bloodiest war in American history. Over the four years, over 620,000 soldiers died in the conflict. This war became one the most traumatic event in American History. Since the beginning of colonization to the 1860’s, the people in this country were slowly being divided. From 1850 to 1861, it was apparent that the union was separating into the North and the South and battle was soon to follow. With this division, peace could not continue amongst the country, for the country was filled with problems that affected the common Americans. With the events that led up to the war, the South felt like they had every reason to secede from the

The pain, joy, bloodshed, death, and sorrow of the Civil War are all contained in the book called, "The Killer Angels." This book will show you the thoughts, feelings and actions of many of the leaders of both armies. By reading this book you will get an in depth view of the bloodiest days of the Civil War. Even if you know absolutely nothing about this war, you can still read and understand everything that is portrayed. This story not only gives you the view of many of the major leaders, but it also gives you the maps an strategies used in this war. It also shows you the conflicts in making these strategies. This book has inspired many, but the true question is will it inspire you? Reading this book will cause

People went from having ten slaves in a farm to having 500 in a plantation. Slave brutality worsened because of this transition, abolitionist and free-soilers in the north did not like this drastic expansion. They opposed the Mexican War because it was a way for the United States to gain territory, and make them slave states thus increasing the expansion of slavery (Doc.4). Therefore compromises like the Compromise of 1850 were created, this compromise proposed that, “slavery does not exist by law, and it is not likely to be introduced into any territory acquired by the United States from the Republic of Mexico…” (Doc.5). Northerners also started showing opposition to slavery by not adhering to the Fugitive Slave Act. They believed that slavery is, "opposition to the first principles of principles of religion, morals, and humanity." and that its inconsistent with "our aims, as a free, humane, and enlightened people" (Doc.2a). On the other hand southerners believe that "slavery was one of the most dynamic economic and social processes..." and that without slavery "you could not have civilization... slavery freed upper class from manual labor"

The author of “The fate of their Country: Politicians, Slavery Extensions, and the coming of Civil War”, Michael F. Holt has several very good points about the reasons why the Civil War happened. Now I am going to explain why he thinks that slavery is the main issue of the conflict between the North and South. Why did Texas have such a pivotal role in the struggle between states? Why was the Wilmot Proviso politically dangerous? What occurred in Kansas and why did things go do wrong? And what is the importance of the Dred Scott decision?

In the 1860s there was a war between the North and South otherwise known these two groups were known as the Union and the Confederates. This war was called the civil war, reasons of its occurrence may seem simple but there was complex reasoning that led to the occurence of the civil war. These events could include slavery, economic differences, and cultural differences. Many believe that the only cause for the civil war was slavery but there was much that went into the beginning of the civil war. It started as differences between their economies which include industrialization in the North and agricultural in the South. Then these differences evolved into different opinions on culture and politics. The final tipping point into the civil war

During the Civil War, there were two sides, the Confederate Army and the Union Army. While the Confederates fought for slavery, the Union fought for their freedom. While the

The Civil War was not a spontaneous conflict, rather it was the culmination of various events in American history that were in the two decades preceding it. These events exposed a rift in American society which would eventually lead to the Civil War. Among these events were the Kansas-Nebraska Act and Mexican-American War. Both of them lead to a highly polarized reactions from Northerners and Southerners in the slavery debate. In the end, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and Mexican-American War intensified Northern opposition to slavery, which as a result put America on a path to war.

The outburst of the Civil War forever changed the future of the American nation. At first, it began as a fight to protect the Union, not as a struggle to free the slaves. Many citizens from the North and South felt that the conflict would ultimately decide both issues. Slavery was one of the primary issues which physically divided the northern U.S. from the Southern U.S. during the Civil War. Even after the Reconstruction Era it continue to divide the two. The Southern resistance to ending slavery was the main reason as to why the South believed in rejecting outsider ideals and it helped establish the Southern Code of Honor that emphasizes aggression and violence.

The American Civil war is one of the most studied topics in American history. Yet still, a definitive answer cannot be found as to why the war broke out. Many of the interpretations can be grouped into two major schools of thought: the irrepressible conflict or the Blundering Generation. It was certainly true that the North and South were becoming increasingly different during this period. Slavery being the most fundamental of these, however there was also variances in the economies and culture. This would support the idea that the war was inevitable as the differences were too great. However, it can be argued that radically different societies can co-exist without