Assess the factors that led to the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 The main factor that caused the American Civil War in 1861 was slavery as it was the underlying fundamental division between Northern and Southern societies that made living in harmony impossible. However, we must also examine the economic disparity between the North and South, political failure to manage the situation and the impact of the election of Lincoln in 1860. Although slavery is the underlying reason, the civil war would not have happened if it were not for the financial divide that developed because of slavery. These core factors were exacerbated by political mismanagement, a catalyst for the outbreak of the Civil War and Lincoln’s election in 1860, the trigger factor. Despite this, had it not been for slavery, there would have been no initial divide between North and South which created economic disparity and led to Southern paranoia over Northern expansionism which led to war, thus the most important factor.
The territorial expansion of the United States played a great role in the Civil war because it indirectly affected slavery. The United States expanding meant that the North and South would have to agree on whether the new territories would be admitted as free or slave territories. Before new states were added, there was balance among the country. Once new territories were added, the
Years of frustration is what caused the eventual succession. Since the American Revolution, the topic of slavery was present in the minds of important men in both northern and southern states. The institution of slavery was allowed to continue in the United States, but it was when the Union started to expand that much of the frustration began. The government had passed regulations banning the spread of slavery into these new territories, and many southern states were outraged to the point where South Carolina threatened to succeed from the Union in 1821. Southern states believed that their way of life was being infringed, meaning that slavery was an important institution for their mainly agricultural based economy.
The state’s rights issue was embedded in the issue of slavery; this, would lead our nation to war. In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act would begin to strike conflict within both the North and South (The American Mosaic). This act would constitutionally require Northerners to return runaway slaves to their slave owners. Forcing the north to put aside an issue that most felt was unjust and/or immoral and participate in it immediately. While at first Southerners were very happy with this compromise, the reaction of the north would infuriate them.
The two causes of the civil war were slavery and Abraham Lincoln. Slavery was very big in the South because it helped them with their economy, but the North was completely against slavery. The North and South could not compromise with their issues, and the Election of Abraham Lincoln turned everything sour and led to the civil war. Although, the war was very deadly, at the end, the North side managed to get what they always wanted, this was to abolish
After the War of 1812 many problems over keeping the balance between slave and Free states, arose which contributed to the growth of sectionalism in America. Thomas Jefferson referred to the Missouri Compromise as the geographical line that would cause more irritation in America every time an issue came about (Doc F.) Although the Missouri compromise created a new slave state in Missouri and a free one in Maine, this did not totally resolve the conflicts about allowing slavery in certain parts of the nation. Jefferson feared that the nation’s perseverance would be affected due to this dividing line.“The agriculturists bear the whole brunt of the war and taxation, and remain poor, while the others run in the ring of pleasure, and fatten upon them.” (Doc. A). The Tariff of 1816 placed a high tariff on manufactured imports in order to place a protective veil around typically northern businesses.
Because in my perspective, this contradictory proclamation seems to be a political propaganda to support only the whites. Today I stand, as a runaway slave who escaped the grasp of slave owners and harsh Fugitive Slave Laws presented in the Compromise of 1850. However, tension has finally reached a peak between the North and the South due to the secession in 1860. I believe that several key events from 1845-1861 caused all this turmoil and crashed the regional differences between the Union and the Confederacy together. Eventually leading to the outbreak of the Civil war in 1861.
Slavery in The Civil War The American civil war from 1861 to 1865 divided many people in the United States, even turning brother against brother. There were also great amounts of bloodshed and was one of the bloodiest wars in the US and left a heritage of brief and bitterness. And the basis of this war, slavery, slavery is usually very cruel and has been around since early man. Their were two sides to this war, the North and the south. The North consisted of 19 free states in which slavery was prohibited and in the South 15 slave states which could own slaves.
The American Civil War, spanning the years of 1861-1865, was fought primarily over two key issues; slavery and states’ rights. Though examples of conflict concerning both of these issues can be seen as early as before the framing of the Constitution, there were several key events in the mid-1800’s that contributed to the exacerbation of the negative Northern and Southern sentiments. These events would culminate with succession of the Southern Confederate States and lead the nation into the bloodiest battle in her history to date, the Civil War. The Northwest Ordinance of 1789 was the first major legislation to address the issue of slavery in future regions. This ordinance set the precedent of the United States expanding by creation of new states instead of expansion of existing ones.
The northern states where anti slavery and the southern states were pro slavery. Because the south’s economic structure needed slaves for plantations and the north was more industrialized. slavery was frowned upon in the north .and in the south slavery was veiwed as a way of life .. As America expanded over time the two sides fought for power. Each side had their own beliefs about t slavery but no one could come to a compromise. Before the civil war abolitionists and activist in politics such as William Steward tries to expand the abolishing of slavery by saying s “the country is a theater that