The Slavery Question

The secession of South Carolina on December 20, 1860, by a vote of 169-0 was a response to the election of Abraham Lincoln of 1860. Lincoln perceived as an abolitionist wanted to contain slavery rather than ending it. The majority party above the Mason-Dixon line were Republicans and below were primarily Democrats and Republicans were viewed as abolitionists. The election of a Republican threatened the South’s status quo. The primary catalyst for secession was based on slavery. Different social cultures and political beliefs developed due to the South’s intimate and reliant relationship on slavery. Southern whites feared the end of slavery and this paranoia was shared among plantation slave owners and white Yeoman farmers. Southern whites felt that the North were threatening the supposed tranquility of the South. The South’s agrarian economy, honor, and independence were believed to be in danger. Slavery was intertwined with the South’s social, cultural, and economic makeup. As a result of slavery, the South developed a paternalistic culture and racial ideology of white supremacy. The perceived notion that the North was influencing it’s political and social beliefs on the South lead them to believe that secession was the only act of self-preservation. The growing differences between the South and North made it difficult to negotiate. This fear was exaggerated and accelerated the South’s eventual implosion. The South believed that without slavery it would self-destruct and

The controversy over slaves ultimately led to the secession. Abraham Lincoln thinks slavery is wrong and he wants to stop it from spreading. Earlier, he had warned that slavery could separate a nation. In the 1860 election Lincoln is elected, but southerners are worried he will end slavery forever. Southern states start to secede because they are worried. First South Carolina succeeds, then North, Texas, and then Florida too. They give themselves a new name called the Confederate States of America. (Wise...)

Charles B. Dew's Apostles of Disunion delves into the controversial topic of the causes of the Civil War and the secession of the states that eventually became the Confederate States of America. There are many accounts that point to defending states' rights as the primary cause of the Civil War. However, most people believe that slavery was the main and primary concern the deep South cited for seceding from the Union to form their own separate country focused on individual liberty and the progression of slavery in those states. Dew makes the point that searching for the cause for the Civil War is a search that continues to be debated

Although some historians feel that the Civil War was a result of political blunders and that the issue of slavery did not cause the conflict, they ignore the two main causes. The expansion of slavery, and its entrance into the political scene.

One of the main causes of the Civil War was the argument over slavery. Though slavery was not the only reason why the civil war happened it is still considered as one of the main reason that led to the fighting between the North and South. Slavery was an important thing not only because of the cruel or religious reasons, but just from the fact that it’s

The slaves states secede from the Union since the South thought Abraham Lincoln would try to end slavery. To many southerners, it seemed that the South no longer had a voice in the national government(textbook 500). The southern states secede from the Union since they felt they had no voice in their own country anymore. The South thinks Abraham Lincoln was trying to take slavery away from them. Therefore, Many southerners favored secession as part of the idea that the states have rights and powers which the federal government cannot legally deny(Document 5). Many southerners favored secession as part of the idea that the states have rights and powers which the federal government cannot legally deny(Document 5) The South believed that Abraham Lincoln was against slavery which lead to the states

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.

Disagreements between the North and South over State’s rights, interpretation of the constitution, and tariffs were more significant as to the cause of the Civil War than the opposing views on slavery. Even today there are still hard feelings between the north and south and democrats and republicans because of how things turned out during the Civil War. There are also still differences of opinion as to the true reason for this war. This being said, it could be easily assumed that slavery was the key issue. But as we all know, the emancipation proclamation was not signed until after the war began, which showed that freeing slaves wasn’t the priority.

At the time of them wanting to secede, the Southern states were very successful in agriculture. They thought that they could make their money just from the slaves working on their crops and could eventually expand to make their crop space larger. The Confederacy would give the power to the State instead of the Federal Government. Having the Confederates not run on a central document, was like anarchy or lawlessness. Secession would have caused more problems in the Confederacy than what they already had.

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.

Many people argue that the primary cause of the Civil War was the Kansas-Nebraska act; there are infinite reasons as to why it actually started. Most people do not realise that many of the reasons leading to the Civil War were actually related to the debate on slavery. The Abolitionists wanted to rid of slavery; they were abundant in the north. The Abolitionists had many conflicts with the South. All of these conflicts like the Border War and John Brown’s Raid, made the the North and South have hostile attitudes towards one another. Then the North and South eventually declared war against each other. The central cause of the war was slavery as represented by the Border War, John Brown’s Raid, The Compromise of 1850 and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by

The events that led up to the Civil War were disagreements about political beliefs and most importantly, slavery. Even though many historians want to believe that slavery was not the main cause, other historians want to believe that the causes were many other little factors. For example, principle of State’s Rights, and taxation were the two other historians believed was the cause. The Western states sought to preserve the Union as one confederation under one

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.

South Carolina also accused the Northern states of instigating “a war [that would] be waged against slavery until it shall cease throughout the United States,” (South Carolina) through the election of Abraham Lincoln as president. In Georgia’s declaration of secession, the reasons for secession are cited as “numerous and serious causes of complaint” (Georgia) against the non-slave holding states that were centered on “the subject of African slavery” (Georgia). In Mississippi, the consensus in the same; Mississippi’s position in the issue “[was] thoroughly identified with the institution of slavery” (Mississippi) and goes to list many reasons pertaining to slavery for its secession, most notably 1) The North “has made combinations and formed associations to carry out its schemes of emancipation” (Mississippi), 2) “has nullified the Fugitive Slave Law in almost every free State in the Union” (Mississippi), and 3) “advocates negro equality” (Mississippi). For these as well as other reasons all pertaining to slavery, the Confederate States seceded from the Union. In the Southern States, as seen through the declarations of secession from the Confederate States, the people, along with the governments of those states all supported secession based on issues arising from the conflict over slavery.

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.