Causes of The Civil War
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Leading up to The War
There are many reasons as to why the Civil War began. There had always been a division between people in the north and south even 100 years before the war began. Different political parties erupted because of the individual beliefs of northern and southern inhabitants, and political parties were split between the north and the south. Agriculture was more popular in the south because of land, and the ability to grow different crops. Manufacturing was more popular in the north because they didn't have sufficient land to grow the amount of crops needed. With the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, tensions between the north and south grew because of the manufacturing and agricultural differences. Political parties were based upon structures of what people needed in different parts of the country along with other needs, but this reason caused the most division between the two sides. The differences between the north and south were some of the major causes leading up to the Civil War.
There are many reasons as to why the Civil War began. There had always been a division between people in the north and south even 100 years before the war began. Different political parties erupted because of the individual beliefs of northern and southern inhabitants, and political parties were split between the north and the south. Agriculture was more popular in the south because of land, and the ability to grow different crops. Manufacturing was more popular in the north because they didn't have sufficient land to grow the amount of crops needed. With the invention of the cotton gin in 1793, tensions between the north and south grew because of the manufacturing and agricultural differences. Political parties were based upon structures of what people needed in different parts of the country along with other needs, but this reason caused the most division between the two sides. The differences between the north and south were some of the major causes leading up to the Civil War.
The Issue of Slavery
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Everyone knows that a major issue during the Civil War was slavery. The South wanted slavery because they needed slaves for plantations and farms. The North wasn't against slavery but they didn't need it because business was based mostly on manufacturing. This caused a huge division between the north and south. Slavery was an argued topic for many years before the war because of the major differences in the north and south. Obviously, slavery was much more populous in the south and farmers relied on slavery for their economy, but many northerners did not see the need for slavery. When Abraham Lincoln was elected for president in 1860 people in the south thought that he was against slavery. This caused outrage throughout the south and South Carolina succeeded from the Union. This division between northern and southern states would have a huge impact on the United States. Who knew that so many people would be outraged by people having their own opinions? Everyone wanted different results. Southerners thought they needed slaves, Northerners didn't. When the eleven states succeeded from the Union, calling themselves the Confederate States of America, there was no choice but to go to war to force the states to go back to the Union.
Manifest Destiny's Impact On The U.S. The idea of Manifest Destiny was definitely a cause of the Civil War. After conquering land from the East coast to the West coast, America had taken control of the Continental United States. This came with a price, though. With more land came the issue of what was going to be done with it. Which state was going to be a slave state or a free state? The debate was almost never ending. The South wanted more slave states than free states and the North wanted the opposite. Compromises were written, some failed and some worked. The Missouri Compromise let Missouri in as a slave state and Maine was let in as a free state. The Compromise of 1850 was also a compromise that lasted which let California in as a free state and issued the areas that could and could not be a slave state. Of course, this was a huge issue and was also a major reason leading up to the Civil War.
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The Last Straw
Abraham Lincoln's election in 1860 was the last straw before the war broke out. Southerners were outraged after he was elected and even though some states had already succeeded from the Union, the election made more states leave. The Confederacy was made with the president, Jefferson Davis, and was made up of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Previously all of Virginia, was split into West Virginia and Virginia because of disagreements on who to side with. The Confederacy wanted their own way, and the Union wanted another way. People in the Confederacy thought that Lincoln was against slavery, which is why so many slave states succeeded. Lincoln was from the North also, which southerners did not want. These major issues sprang into the American Civil war in 1821. Lincoln was the President of the Union fighting against Jefferson Davis and the Confederacy. Abraham Lincoln's election ties in with slavery as well because that is why so many southerners wanted to separate from the United States of America. Many issues led up to the Civil War but the election of 1860 was definitely the last huge uproar that eventually started the war.
Tindall, George and David Shi. (2007). America, A Narrative History. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.