There are numerous complex reasons for the eruption of the Civil War. No single issue was the cause. However, certain events and ideas strained the relations between the North and South more than others. By the time the Civil War broke out, the North and South were almost two completely different entities. Although there was definite economic and political strife, I believe that social conflict around prominent issues such as slavery led to an irreconcilable shift in attitudes and relations. The pre-civil war era was turbulent; rapidly bringing about many social, economic, and political changes. During this period the economy experienced a “market revolution”, which spawned after the construction of the Eerie canal. States began to spend …show more content…
The main rift between the North and South revolved around slavery. Throughout the early and mid 19th century, more people (especially in the north) were comprehending the brutality of slavery in the U.S. Open objections to slavery increased, and sometimes even turned violent. Figures such as William Lloyd Garrison (founded an abolitionist newspaper), Frederick Douglass (renowned abolitionist speaker and author), and Harriet Tubman (helped slaves escape the South via the Underground Railroad) were all great leaders and symbols in the abolitionist movement. Furthermore, events such as the Dred Scott case spotlighted the injustice of how blacks were treated as property rather than human beings. This case actually opened up a more fervent discussion of slavery and in the end gave more recognition to the abolitionist movement. As the movement progressed and gained popularity, the strain with the South grew alongside it. In this sense, the Civil War was essentially inevitable. Another social issue that led to the civil war was a lack of unity. Many citizens did not yet feel as if they were part of a union, rather they felt part of one individual state. This mentality made it easier for southern states to consider secession from the …show more content…
It gave people a strong emotional tie to the war and led southerners to believe they were fighting a war to protect their innate rights. Neither side could find a compromise after the Kansas-Nebraska Act essentially destroyed the delicate balance of slave holding/non slave holding states created by the Missouri Compromise. Northerners were dismayed with the prospect of slavery moving westward, especially since much of that area was neither solely industry or farmland. The south, with its stubbornness and such established traditions, continued to feel threatened. The Civil War was inevitable with such a deep-rooted disagreement in place. Another cause of tension was increasing violence within the abolitionist movement. In 1859 John Brown and his supporters marched to Harper’s Ferry and seized the armory and arsenal, where he then tried to inspire a slave revolt. Brown’s plan failed and he was put to death, but this violence caused led to even greater Southern distrust of the abolitionist
By the year of 1860, the North and the South was developed into extremely different sections. There was opposing social, economic, and political points of view, starting back into colonial periods, and it slowly drove the two regions farther in separate directions. The two sections tried to force its point of view on the nation as a whole. Even though negotiations had kept the Union together for many years, in 1860 the condition was unstable. The presidential election of Abraham Lincoln was observed by the South as a risk to slavery and many believe it initiated the war.
The Civil War was caused by the economics of slavery and the political control of that system, specifically being states’ rights on the federal powers of the government, the territorial expansion of the united states that led to the division of the two sides, and the election of President Abraham Lincoln which was the final event that sent the nation to war.
Slavery, as Abraham Lincoln often noted, was the root cause of the Civil War. Tensions over slavery dated back to the contradictory nature of the American Revolution of 1776 that resulted in a republic simultaneously committed to freedom for whites and bondage for blacks (Barney W., p. 61). Within years North and South reached the point at which compromise was not possible. At that time Civil War had been started.
Tensions between the North and South had grown steadily since the anti slavery movement in 1830. Several compromises between the North and South regarding slavery had been passed such as the Nebraska-Kansas and the Missouri act; but this did little to relieve the strain. The election of President Lincoln in 1861 proved to be the boiling point for the South, and secession followed. This eventually sparked the civil war; which was viewed differently by the North and the South. The Northern goal was to keep the Union intact while the Southern goal was to separate from the Union. Southern leaders gave convincing arguments to justify secession. Exploring documents from South Carolina’s secession ordinance and a speech from the Georgia
Many causes led to the Civil War. This all happened around the mid 1800s. It was a conflict between the Northern and Southern states. Both sides had their own view on slavery, and their separate views caused contentions between the two. Both had different views on whether to expand or stop slavery growth to the West, or have slavery at all.
The central cause of conflict between North and South was slavery, but it was only in it's expansion that it became a reason for war. The entrance of slavery into politics made it into a public issue, and once the issue became public the conflict had to be solved.
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.
The Civil War was caused by economic conflict, slavery issues and the disagreements between the North and South.
The Civil War was the war that divided the young American nation into two opposing sides. One side being the North, also called the Union, and the second side being the South, also called the Confederacy. The root cause of why the South seceded from the Union has been debated and argued since the beginning of the war in 1861. Most people argue that the argument, between the North and the South, over slavery was the main reason why the South left the Union. However, the issue has to be more complex than just the issue with slavery. The root cause of the of the South secession from the Union was a combination of the South’s aggravation and fear over their dependence on the North for their economic prosperity and their dependence on slavery for a highly profitable economy.
The Civil War happened due to the many differences between the North and the South. For example economic, social, cultural and political differences. These all helped lead America to a Civil War. But to an extent, the most important cause was the fact there were many disagreements with states' rights versus federal rights.
The causes of the Civil War were complex and have been controversial since the country began. Some causes include; states’ rights, economics, and slavery. The most recognizable and popular cause is slavery. The freeing of the slaves was an important moral issue at the time and one of the greatest causes of the civil war. "It was only by carefully avoiding the moral issue involved in slavery that Northerners and Southerners could meet on any common ground." (Goldston, 79). The time came in which our great country would finally address the moral issue of slavery. Although there are many different causes to the American Civil War, the main cause was slavery because other causes are rooted in the issue of slavery.
The primary cause of the outbreak of the Civil War was due to the economic differences between the northern and southern States. In the years prior to the Civil War, the economic interests of the North were increasingly different from that of the South. (Economies and the Civil War). In the North, the vast majority of
During the 1850s, slavery had become a topic of great discussion, especially when it came to the organization of new territories, and whether slavery should be allowed or prohibited in these new territories. Some argued that slavery was right, while others though it was not and should be ended, causing fear and anger between the free-states in the North and the Southern Slave states. This would lead to many problems for the nation. These problems not only created a division between the northern and southern states, it caused blood to be spilled and led to beginning of the American Civil War. Within these events, four significant ones created the spark needed to start the Civil War. These events were the Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854, Bleeding Kansas, Harper’s Ferry Raid, and the Secession of the South from the Union, which created a division between northern and southern states and made the American Civil War inevitable.
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.
Generally, it is thought to be the South’s fault for causing the Civil War. Contrary to popular belief, the Civil War was mainly provoked by the North; through using the federal government to overtake the South, removing slavery which would destroy Southern economy, and creating the moral issue of slavery. The North was the primary reason for the start of a war that ripped our country apart.