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.
Prior to the start of the Civil war in 1861, the South was still a heavily agricultural based society and remained so for years after the war ended. On the other hand, the North’s economy relied more on manufactured products rather than agricultural products. With the North’s openess to advancements in technology, came advancements in travel and shipping. The biggest advancement in travel at the time was the invention of the railroad system. The North’s percentage of railroad tracks, when compared to the total of railroad tracks located within the North and the South, was about 72 percent (Doc. C). Meaning the South had to rely on the North to transport most of the time so their crops could be transported
One of the main differences of the economy were the railroads. The North had more railroads than the South because they used the railroads to transport medicines,soldiers,clothes,utilities,weapons, and foods during the war. In Document 1, the top map shows how the north had railroads going from different states and extending more. While, the South had a few railroads. In Document 2, the North’s railroad mileage was better since they did rely mostly on public transportation than the south did. Another difference was that the North was based on industrialization while the South was based on agriculture. In Document 1, the map on the bottom shows that the south’s main production was cotton. In Document 2, the graphs show that the North had 73% more population than the South who only had 27% of the population. The south had 88% more of slaves while the North had only had 12% of slaves. The North 1,300,000 industrial workers while the south only had 110.00 industrial workers. The North’s value of manufacturing goods yearly was over the south’s yearly value. The south instead relied on produce such as cotton while the north did not. Both used corn but the north produced it more than the south. These events caused the civil war to start because both had different economic
The north had more miles of Railroad tracks than the south meaning that their transporting of good was way more faster and efficient than the south. This means that the south's transporting of the goods they sold was more sufficient than the north so there goods would arrive at places later than the north's goods would arrive This is my last reason as to why the south seceded from the Union, which lead to the american Civil
The difference between the North and South’s economy varied greatly. The South had a mainly agricultural economy while the North mainly focused on an industrial economy. It can be seen on the pi charts of the North and South’s economy that the North was more prosperous with their economy do to that fact that one and a half trillion dollars of manufactured goods were produced in the North while only one hundred fifty-five million dollars were produced in the South (Doc 2). The South made most of their money from crops but most importantly cotton. South was the top producer in cotton and it was a very popular crop to buy. The difference in economy between the North and South took a toll on the relationship between them. The difference in economies was a tension that was one event that led to the civil
The American Civil War occurred from 1861 to 1865, with the North and South unable to reconcile their differences peacefully, it turned to violence and bloodshed. It tested American principles and fundamentals, spurring from sectionalism, or the allegiance to one's region as opposed to the whole country. Due to the distinct political, economic, and social systems of the North and South, each was unable to obtain its objectives, leading to a war which resulted in conservation of the Union and an end to slavery.
Lincoln's election went well and he became president of the United states but after a few months after that seven states had seceded from the Union. Many of these states believed and maintain that the primary cause of the war was the Southern states wanted to keep the institution of slavery. Others minimize slavery and point to other factors, such as taxation or the principle of States' Rights.South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. South Carolina adopted the Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina from the Federal Union on December 20, 1860. The document stated that We, the people of the State of South Carolina, in convention assembled, do declare and ordain, and it
The Civil War was a momentous time in American history. America was a country divided with two regions waging war on each other. The north and the south were split apart into the Union and the Confederacy. South Carolina was the first to secede from the Union and was followed by ten more states. The complexity as to why eleven states seceded from the Union has been a question that historians have explored for years. Explanations such as political and economic issues have been uncovered. Slavery has also been an explanation as to why the Civil War was caused. Historians have looked into the years before the Civil War to discover that slavery was a long term issue that caused many disputes and compromises. From how to give power to slave
Abraham Lincoln, President of the North and Jefferson Davis, President of the South were both from the state of Kentucky (PBS). The Civil War was one of the bloodiest wars ever and it was a very important five years in American history. The Civil War was caused by sectionalism, lifestyle, secession, and slavery, was impacted by Southern and Northern leaders, was fought in many battles and as a result started the Reconstruction era in America. Two of the leaders in the South were Jefferson Davis and Robert E. Lee and in the North the Union was led by Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant. Some of the major battles during the Civil War were Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Appomattox. The Civil War was caused by four main things.
The Truth: The Civil War began due to differences in beliefs on slavery. The free states and slave states did not agree when it came to the national government's power to prohibit slavery in the territories that were not yet considered states. When Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 pledging to end slavery in southern territories, seven slave states seceded from the Union to form The Confederate States of America. Lincoln and most of his fellow northerners feared for the future of democracy and their country when this happened and did not acknowledge the secession as a legitimate political move. The war officially started when the Confederate army claimed Fort Sumter as their own in April of 1861 by opening fire and forcing the federal troops to lower the American flag and surrender.
American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 was a great and bloody war fought between the North and South. Growing up, we were taught in history class that it was a righteous war to free slaves, a public outcry for human rights. Abraham Lincoln once said that slavery “was somehow the cause of this war” (The American Pageant, 2006, p.348). But as we dig further, he also denied the intention to initiate a civil war, stating in his inaugural address that, “I have no purpose, directly or indirectly to interfere with the institution of slavery in the United States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so.”(Freedom on My Mind: A History of African Americans, 2013, p.325)Accordingly, we can’t help but ask what made Abraham Lincoln change his mind, or, what exactly was the
Today, one main subject still debated by historians is the primary cause of the Civil War. Most people will argue that the indisputable reason for the War was centered on slavery. While slavery definitely played a significant role in the Civil War, it was not the only cause of the war. The essential cause of the Civil War consisted of an ongoing political battle between the States’ Rights versus the Federal Rights. Due to the political battle, other probable reasons for the Civil War began to develop such as slavery and the differences in the Northern and Southern economies.
The Cause of the Civil War are the economy of the Northern states was driven by industries, the same was driven by agriculture in the Southern states. The southern States favor were slaves and they needed the slaves to work for them and in their fields. The federal government decided to end the unethical practice it was strongly opposed by the politicians from the Southern states. Northern States are free states they don’t have slaves and Southern States are not free states and they do have slaves. When the first seven states declared the secession on march 4 1861 which prompted four more states to join them.
Over the years the actual cause of the Civil War has been misinterpreted. Many people believe that the only reason of the war was to end slavery; they are far away from being right. There were several other factors involved. We can see the different points of view on varying from state to state. If you were to ask people in the southern states they would tell you that the north wanted to abolish slavery to affect their economy and change their traditional lifestyle. On the other hand if you asked a northerner they would tell you it was to preserve the Union as one and for better chances of prosperity in the west. One thing they can both agree on is that they did not want the same thing as a society at the time. While slavery was one of the
In 1861, the United States of America observed a split of itself when eleven southern states withdrawn from the union and tried to create the Confederate States of America. The Civil War lasted for four years, from 1861 to 1865. Primarily, this war was fought amongst the people in the northern and southern states of the country. The southern states was led by President Jefferson Davis and the northern states was led by Abraham Lincoln. However, the two main causes that led to the American Civil War was the failure of the Compromise of 1850 and the violence of Bleeding Kansas.
The one main cause of the American Civil war must be resolved, and while there are many ideas, history reveals that there was only one. There are many arguable motives to the start of the Civil War, but there are four main concepts. These four concepts were slavery, taxation, the election of Abraham Lincoln and lastly, struggling with power between the Northern and Southern states.
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.