Prelude to Civil War DBQ By the 1850's the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it has created. It is known that the union did not last that’s why the Civil War happened. If everyone could agree on what the constitution implied, then there probably would not have been a civil war. From many of the documents, there are arguments about what the constitution states. "To the Argument, that the word 'slaves' and 'slavery' are not to be found in The Constitution, and therefore it was never intended to give any protection or countenance to the slave system, it is sufficient to reply, that no such words are continued in the instrument, other words were used, intelligently and specifically, to meet the necessities of slavery."
The thirteen states had to make some ratification of it and that didn’t occur until March 1, 1781. The Articles of Confederation produce a loose confederation of sovereign states and also weakening the central government. With that all of the power were left with the state governments. Some of the strength that the Article of Confederation had was to declare war and make peace, to coin and borrow money, to talk with foreign countries and sign treaties, and also to operate offices. The weaknesses were greater than the strength, the National government couldn’t force the state to obey its law which means that the states was pretty much running wild.
The Civil War is an important piece of American history. It is when the North and South split and fought against each other. The three most important causes of the Civil War in my opinion are Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the issue of slavery in territories, and the Northerners hating the fugitive slave law. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is one of the most important causes of the Civil War. Uncle Tom’s cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
Many would have to consider Thomas Jefferson as a man who was consistently inconsistent. Jefferson has a strict interpretation of the Constitution. Regardless Jefferson did abandon the principles of his party in order to do what was best for the country and it wasn’t necessarily doing what his party members agree on. Thomas Jefferson inconsistencies included international affairs, politics, and economic policies. Thomas Jefferson’s policies to for economic policies and letting the people follow their dreams to provide themselves with a steady income and provide a living.
Analyze the reasons for the Anti-Federalists opposition to ratify the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists were a diverse coalition of people who opposed the ratification of the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists criticized the Constitution for having been drafted in secrecy. They further argued that the Constitution took important powers from the states, and the fact that they could not print money under the Constitution. The Anti-Federalists’ strongest argument, however, was that the Constitution lacked a Bill of Rights.
Hamilton was an ardent believer that the states were incapable of uniting the people politically and economically. He feared the interests of the states would lead to chaos due to “an excess of the spirit of liberty, which has made the particular states show a jealousy of all power not in their own hands” (Morse, 1890). Hamilton was leery of state power because of how ineffective the Articles of Confederation were in promoting a national identity capable of defending the homeland and creating the basic foundation for economic development. Unlike many of his colleagues, Hamilton did not grow up a child of privilege and carried with him the stigma of being a bastard because his mother was previously married and his biological father abandoned the family. He grew up on the small Caribbean island of Nevis that “generated more wealth for Britain than all of her North American colonies combined” (Chernow, 2004).
Major differences in political culture included the lack of a strong aristocratic class in America, the growing diversity and factional conflicts in different regions of the colonies, and the American view that members of their representative assemblies had the right to make changes in local constitutions. Americans had a long record of disobeying and rejecting acts of parliament. They thought the British discarded this common heritage of liberty that kept the empire together and felt there was a conspiracy to destroy it on both sides of the coin. Before the seven years war, the colonists had set up their own political arena though they were similar to England. When the war was over that is when the issue of taxation without representation started.
The founders of the Constitution were afraid to allow ordinary citizens to directly vote for the President. The founders feared that normal citizens would not be well informed enough to choose the right candidate (Weingast, 2007). Ideas were then shared among the founders at the convention on how to elect the President. These ideas included allowing Congress, Governors, or even state legislators choose the President (“Electoral College”, n.d.). These ideas were rejected as the framers of the constitution thought this would cause corruption and disrupt the balance of power between the branches of the federal government (Webster, 2016).
Why was the Civil War really fought???? It is a commonly held view that President Lincoln fought the Civil War to free the slaves. Based on the video, in depth reading, and what we have gone through so far in class I must ultimately refute this assertion. Around the years of 1850 to 1861 the division of the north and south proved to be unstable as to leading to four years of bloodshed. During this time 11 southern slave states seceded from the United States and formed the Confederacy, witch fought against all states allowing slavery (free states) known as the Union.
Slavery was the main cause of the breakup of the Union and influenced other factors, such as territorial expansion, industrialization and economic tensions, and political alignments. Combined, all of these conflicts, with slavery at the root, led to the conflicts in the nation that started the Civil War. The issue of slavery caused conflict regarding new territories, economic stratification, and political turmoil. All of these tensions served to divide the nation, North against South, to start the Civil War. Slavery, in itself, was the most predominant reason for the breakup of the Union.