Essay about The Civil War

Although the American Civil War mainly occurred because of slavery, the fact is that slavery had a lot to do with economic and social issues.

The American Civil War has caused many debates amongst a wide range of historians resulting in many different views being formed on all aspects of the War. The argument whether slavery has been overemphasised is one of great debate. Some historians like Michael F. Holt concur that the slavery issue was nearly the only reason and cause of the American civil war. Others disagree, Joel H. Silbey agrees that this is a reason but not the only one other ideas to need to be looked at to the cause of the outbreak of war in America. I will look at this issue and others which caused the beginning of the civil war.

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

The compromises of 1820, 1850, and 1854 that were written to keep peace caused more tension between Northerners and Southerners because the supporters of the compromises did not abide by them (Schultz,n.d.). After Lincoln was elected the Succession began which formed The Confederate States of America. Though the North did not all agree with Lincoln they did not want to have to live with African Americans, nor the competition in the west. They did consider slavery barbaric and backward, which offended the southerners as they

At the time just before the civil war, the Northern states and Southern states were divided into one main issue: slavery. The North tended to HATE slavery and the Abolitionists were common. The South felt threatened by this, because the capital was in the north, and it seemed like the government was completely on the side of the north. Starting with Wilmot’s proviso, which first made southerners think that Congress were abolitionists. Next the Kansas-Nebraska act or bloody Kansas, with both sides getting violent, it just added to the conflict between Northerners and Southerners.

States rights was a huge issue. State laws were debated among the North and South. The more the two sides disagree, the closer the South came to seceding from the Union. For example, “The North is

Slavery did play an important role in the Civil War, but it was not what the war was originally based on. James M. McPherson explains in his book, “What They Fought For” the reasons why the Union and Confederacy started the Civil War. This book review will analyze the author’s purpose, his main argument, the evidence used, whether the book succeeded in its goals, and whether I would recommend this book or not.

The compromises from 1846 to 1861 were, by their intentions, to postpone the struggle between the north and the south temporarily but not to solve it. The foundational problems, like the the slavery itself, the differences in social structure and economic system and the expansion of slavery, were left. The increasing struggle between the abolitionists and slave owners and between the newly formed Republican Party and the Democratic Party kept putting those questions in front of the US people. The compromises themselves failed to satisfy the wants of both sides, enraged the north and frightened the south, so up to the election of Lincoln, the tension built up to a climax and finally broke out to become a civil war.

The number one issue concerning the cause of the Civil War is the great divide between the Confederate South, which believed in slavery and the Union North, who didn’t agree with slavery or the spread of it. The two territories were against each other but also

The Civil War lasted about four years. In April, from the years 1861-1865. So much blood was shed and a lot of deaths. The North known as the Union and the South known as the Confederate States were at war. People have their views and opinions on the war. Author, Michael Holt has three reasons as to what happened he suggests that 1. The breakdown to the Whig Party; 2. The realignment of voters and thirdly a shift from a nationally balanced party system where both major parties competed on fairly even terms in all parts of the nation to a sectionalized polarized one with Republicans dominant in the North and Democrats in the South (page 208). So, the biggest questions is why? Why were these two sides at war? Was the Civil War over Slavery? Two authors think they have the answers to these questions. In the book, Taking Sides: Clashing Views in U.S History, Charles B. Dew say yes slavery was the cause of the Civil War. He basically

The Civil War, which began as a war against union, quickly turned into a war about slavery, largely due to the actions of the slaves and the part they played in the war. Although slaves were commonly viewed as unintelligent and lacking bravery, their actions during the Civil War told a different story. It was because of these actions that the tone of the Civil War and of the country itself changed, and these actions helped to create a country where they could exist as free men. Unfortunately, their newly established rights were short-lived after the war, also due in part to their own actions.

In 1861, the American Civil War commenced after many years of tension building between the Northern and Southern states. The main reason of the tension was said to be the debate of slavery between the North and South, and although some documents support this claim, it is false. The war had been brewing since 1607, before slavery was even introduced to the colonies that would become the United States of America. The debate of slavery did play a major part in the civil war; however it did so in supporting the true cause of the civil war. The main cause of the American Civil War was not the debate of slavery, but rather Europe’s role in the American economy.

South Carolina and the other southern states to follow, announced their intentions to leave the Union. They believed that since they voluntarily joined the Union, they could voluntarily withdraw as well.[7] During Lincoln’s attempt to stop the secession, more southern states joined the Confederates, and thus due to, but not only to these political factors, the civil war was slowly induced.

“War, justifiable or not, is a descent into madness” (Biel 4). No other war has had a greater effect on the United States than the Civil War. The Civil War had a few different causes. Political, social, and economic forces played a role in the cause of the Civil War. Other causes of war included rivalry and disagreement. Northerners thought slavery was the greatest social sin, whereas Southerners wanted to continue the practice of slavery because that was all they had ever known. Slavery was one of the largest causes of the Civil War. Often times, people may argue slavery was the only cause of the war, but their belief is false.

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.