...Ezequiel Llompart Period.3 9-10-13 CAUSES TO THE CIVIL WAR The civil war was fought in the United States from 1861-1865 and was also known as the war between the states, the war started right after the southern slave states declared their secession and formed The Confederate states of America. Abraham Lincoln was the president for the union states which were the northern and Jefferson Davis was president for the confederacy states which were the southern states. Slavery was the main cause of the civil war, all the other causes are a derivative of slavery. The southern politicians protected slavery by calling for states right and state sovereignty. The Missouri compromise versus popular sovereignty was another big cause of the civil war which I will be talking about. “Bleeding Kansas” was something that got the northerners in favor of the war. And lastly after the election of Abraham Lincoln, that ended up leading to the breakout of the civil war. Coming to the end of The Mexican War, new lands to the west of Texas were yielded to the United States and debate over the westward expansion of slavery was being talked about. Southern politicians and slave owners demanded that slavery be allowed in the West. Northerners however, believed that slavery should be banned from the new territories. Southerners worried that if politicians in the North prevented slavery from expanding westward, then it was only a matter of time before they began attacking it in the South as...
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...Events leading up to the Civil War University of Phoenix There were many factors that led to the Civil War in 1861. Most people would say that slavery is the leading cause and the only reason for the Civil War. It was one of the reasons, but not the only reason. There were five leading causes that led to the Civil War and they were: economic and social differences, state versus federal rights, slavery, the Abolition Movement and the election of Lincoln as President. Economic and Social Differences The invention of Eli Whitney’s Cotton Gin in 1793 led to many differences between the North and the South. Cotton became a very profitable crop for both and the time to process it had been greatly reduced by the machine. In the South, more plantations began to produce cotton, which increased the need for slaves. The North on the other hand was based more on industry than agriculture and was purchasing the raw cotton and turning it into finished goods. The ever evolving northern society encompassed people of different races and cultures working together. The southern states continued to hold onto their social pecking order. (americanhistory.about.com, 2011) States versus Federal rights Southern states were in favor of state’s rights over federal rights; northern states were in favor of a federal government. States rights would enable the states themselves to decide if a federal law was constitutional or not and whether or not that they were willing to accept it. When they were...
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...different societies can co-exist without going to war. Instead, a series of mistakes and misjudgements were made by blundering politicians. There are numerous examples of this; the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott and the Fugitive Slave Act to name just a few. In my view, the American Civil War was an irrepressible conflict since compromise on the slavery issue was impossible. Blundering politicians acted as catalysts to ignite the flames of war, however they did not create the differences which acted as the foundation for the irrepressible conflict. The issue of slavery is often cited as the most significant cause of the war. By 1860 the issue of slavery had become too great and compromise was impossible. As Frederick Douglass stated, ‘the more the issue is settled, the more it needs settling.’ The North and South failed to agree and kept compromising to fix the previous failed compromise. This series of compromises began in 1820 with the Missouri Compromise. The Missouri Compromise prohibited slavery north of the 36˙30’ line of latitude, allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state, and allowed Maine to enter the Union as a free state. This compromise can be...
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...King Cotton It was a slogan used by southerners to support the secession of the South from the North as the money obtained from cotton export would support the Confederacy. It would also support countries such as Britain and France to support the Confederacy as opposed to the North as the economies of these countries heavily depended on the textile industry. It was a failure as other countries did not want to get into the conflict. In foreign affairs, the South had been initially confident of the power and influence of “King Cotton,” the crop that accounted for more than half the value of U.S. exports before the war. Confederates felt that the importance of cotton would force diplomatic recognition from the Federal government and European countries. Neither the commissioners sent abroad in 1861 nor the permanent envoys who replaced them were able to secure recognition from Great Britain, France, or any other European power. The South was able, however, to buy considerable war matériel and several fast ships that destroyed much Federal shipping on the high seas. South = one crop economy By 1840 - 50% of US exports was cotton / was providing 50% of the world supply / providing 75% of England’s supply 1/5 of workers tied to the textile industry but cotton also drives northern economy - needs cotton for textiles (supporting abolition and making $ off slavery). Different economies of the North and South between 1815-1861 North: Industrial Abolition slavery No need...
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...The effectiveness of political compromise in reducing sectional tensions was very poor, as demonstrated by the Missouri Compromise, the compromise of 1850, and the Kansas Nebraska act. These compromises created very little help in trying to repair the tensions. One of the first compromises to try to loosen the tensions was the Missouri Compromise. It all started when Missouri was pushing to become a state. At this time the controversy between having slave vs free states was major. There were 11 free states and 11 slave states. This was an even balance for the North and the South so, having Missouri come in as a free state would grant the North more power over the South. The politician Henry Clay came up with the grand idea of admitting another state, (Maine) as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. At the time this seemed brilliant, but really it still failed to loosen the tensions. This is shown when it is repealed by the Kansas Nebraska Act in...
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...lecture and power-point notes compare and contrast the compromises of 1820 and 1850. Slavery came about in America in 1619 (RN). It lasted through the American Revolution, even after Thomas Jefferson scripted his famous lines in the Declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal. They are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights. That among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Clearly, slaves were not part of this included in Jefferson's words. When it came time to write the Constitution, the word "slavery" was never used. Instead, the framers chose to use the term "other people." These other people were counted as three-fifths of a person for the purposes of representation in Congress according to the Three-Fifths Compromise (RN). This compromise kept slavery in the United States unharmed. The framers also decided not to do anything about the issue of slavery for twenty years. Prior to the American Civil War, many different compromises were made in an attempt to hinder the growing disagreements. However, this only extended the unavoidable events that would occur. The differences between North and South were far to great and compromise did not stand a chance at preventing the imminent conflict. This was most clearly shown in the ways in which the two main compromises: the Compromise of 1820, also known as the Missouri Compromise, and the Compromise of 1850 failed. In 1820 Missouri wanted to join the Union as a slave state. Prior to...
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...The Civil War was a time of chaos and different opinions. It all started with Abraham Lincoln being elected to be our 16th president. Slowly tension from the South and North started to build up about slavery, which then resulted in war. This war lasted for about four years with many significant battles. There were many important events that were leading up to the Civil War, but there were a few that were the key causes. The six events that are vital to the war’s build up are the Missouri Compromise, Nat Turner’s Rebellion, Compromise of 1850, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Bleeding Kansas, and John Brown’s Raid. The Missouri Compromise was in 1820, after the Louisiana Purchase. As time went on after the Louisiana Purchase, the Congress decided that it...
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...and invasion of Texas. Although this activity propelled America onto a new stage and position, it also caused more conflict within the country that became one of the causes that led to the American Civil War. The annexation of Texas, movement of immigrants to the West and the settlement in Oregon led to the formation of a new region that later became states. At this point, there was a conflict of interest as to whether or not to make regions Free states (Brinkey, 2004). Meanwhile, Congress was seeking ways in which they could strike a balance between Free states and slaves. The westward expansion elicited views and debates on granting western territories permission to become states on the basis of their view of slavery. Subsequently, the state was split into two; abolitionist union and pro-slave Confederacy (Bartleby.com, 2014). A significant number of settlers had relocated to south into the Missouri by 1818. At that time, it was still in the process of being made a state while the same problem emerged as to whether or not it would be a free state. While Missouri encountered this problem, the region of Maine was being made a state (Brinkey, 2004). As Congress sought to maintain a balance between free and slave states after several heated debates at the House, the Northerners and Southerner resolve to compromise by stipulating slavery in the southern of the 36 30’ parallel. After all, the...
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...Industrialization caused economic and political differences between the North and South, such as their diverse industrialization and sectional politics. To begin with, the North’s Economy was one of the reasons that caused division of American Industrialization. The Northern Industrial Economy was based on textile and manufacturing. The causes of the Industrial North were that the population was provided by the labor force, populated areas, lack of an open space, as well as the poor climate and growing season. The first factories were the Samuel Slater Mill, built in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, and the Booming Industrial Center located in Lowell, Massachusetts. In addition to the causes of Industrial North, there were the results of the Northern industry, which happened in 1804 that left all states North of Maryland’s ban slavery, including the Northwest Territory. Second, the South’s agricultural economy was another reason that also caused the division of American Industrialization. The Southern Industrial Economy was based on large plantations, and farms that focused on agriculture. Cash crops were grown for sales, such as tobacco, cotton, and sugar. The causes of Agricultural South consisted of a...
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...Over the years people have thought of many different causes for the civil war that took over 600,000 American lives in 1861-1865. Many people believe that the only true cause of the civil war was because of slavery but the war itself was fought over something much bigger than just slavery it was fought over the great political difference between the North and South. The actions of the Democratic politicians from the South and Republican politicians from the North kept the conflict between the states at the center of the political debate for years and made the war inevitable. Key political causes of the civil war include the acts congress passed, the split that happened throughout the years between congress, and most importantly the election in 1860 that elected Abraham Lincoln as president. Congress, throughout the years since America won independence passed laws they believed would help their nation. But as slavery became more of a problem in the nation, acts passed by congress became more important and affected the outcome of the American nation and its citizens much greater. Congress passed many acts throughout the years leading to the Civil War, but some very important ones that both held off the civil war and pushed the civil war are the Missouri Compromise of 1820, the Connecticut Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas – Nebraska Act of 1854. The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 after Missouri requested in 1819 to be part of the Union as a slave state. Missouri’s request...
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...The issue of Westward expansion such as the issue of Missouri, Texas and Nebraska were clearly a key reason for conflict with in the union in the year 1820-1854. However there we other factors like slavery expansion and state vs. federal. The sources illustrate this to different degrees. Sources A, C,B and E can be grouped as they discuss that westward expansion is the main cause which supports the statement but it is E that does so most strongly. Sources C and A can be further linked as they touch on other factors that were important such as slavery. Whilst source D provides an opposing view that westward expansion was the main cause of conflict because it argues Slavery and the abolitionist movement was the reason for conflict within the union. Sources A, B, C and E all link to westward expansion however it is E that fully agrees to the statement. Source E strongly agrees with the statement because it is talking about the territory in particular the territory of Nebraska for example is says ‘Vast unoccupied region’ this shows that Nebraska was a problem and was making politics sectional. It also mentions ‘vast territory yet exempt from these terrible evils’ this is suggesting that the Nebraska territory is all part of the slave power conspiracy which Douglas was now part of as he substituted the Missouri Compromise for popular sovereignty which angered the North as it could lead to the expansion of slavery. This can be shown in source E from when it says ‘violation of a sacred...
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...which invited it, the civil war was undoubtedly inevitable, and despite the consequences and casualties America suffered as a result of it, it ultimately managed to unite the country as a whole into one.. The main causes for it were infringement on civil liberties, infringement on states rights, and the collapse of a two party system. Another cause of it was the north and south had different ideas regarding what a Government looks like. Much like the rest of Europe, the north’s economy was more industrial, with factories, railroads and shipyards while the south’s was agricultural with slavery playing a major part in; the north had their own ideal of a government in which slavery would be abolished, the south’s ideal involved slavery which would naturally cause tension between the two. The South favored an agricultural system, while the North was centered around a city life. it meant that the North’s economy grew through people of different ethnics and backgrounds working together, while the South had a fixed social order. Both sides did their best in trying to reconcile with each other but different events such as the fugitive slave act, bleeding kansas, and the dred scott decision only managed to pull them further apart; although they did create different compromises which managed to quell the tension for a little while but ultimately failed to unite them in the long term. Slavery was a major factor in the early to late 1900’s as well as the precursor towards the impending...
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...farming. It eventually turned into an economy depended on cotton and required mass labor forces known as slaves, which was the backbone of its economy. As time went on the South began to feel more and more greatly threatened by the North. The South began to become dismayed with the lack of acknowledgement concerning federal control over state rights. Many southern states felt that the new constitution did not fully acknowledge if at all the rights of states to act independently. This was an exponential concern with right of slavery. As America began to expand with the addition of new states from the Louisiana Purchase and the victory of the Mexican War, the fight arose between slave and non-slave state proponents. The Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, and Kansas- Nebraska Act of 1854 were all based around the use or freedom of slaves in new territories causing rising tensions between the North and South. The growth of the Abolition movement twisted the nerves of slave owners throughout the south. The movement was influential for abolitionists against slavery that grew especially after the publishing of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The Raid of Harpers Ferry. The election of Abraham Lincoln was the final straw for slave states. Lincoln was seen as an anti-slavery activist, causing the secession South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia,...
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...Introduction The Senate Campaign of 1858 was called the one of greatest Campaign of the century. In the summer of 1858, two candidates campaigned across the state of Illinois for a seat in the United States Senate. That belonged to Stephen Douglas from the Democratic Party. He was seeking reelection. His opponent was a lawyer from the newly established Republican Party. His name was Abraham Lincoln. Out of this great campaign birth the Lincoln-Douglas debates which was a series of formal political debates in 1858 between the two candidates, but also received national importance. The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a defining moment in American political history, affording Abraham Lincoln a major opportunity to create an image for himself on the wider public stage. Stephen Douglas was an established political figure and had distinguished himself in numerous congressional battles, while Lincoln was not known in this arena. Discussion In 1832, Lincoln decided to run for the Illinois State Legislature. Lincoln was to campaign for local improvements such as better roads and canals. However, a war with the Black Hawk Indians broke out before Lincoln’s campaign could get started, in response he joined the Army. After his short wartime, Lincoln returned to politics and lost the race of Illinois Legislature. In 1834 Lincoln made a second attempt to maintain a seat in the state legislature, which he was successful in winning the seat. Lincoln was elected in 1834, 1836, 1838, and...
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... In the aftermath of the Revolutionary War, America went into two different economical directions: the North became industrial the South agricultural. Although it is believed the underlying cause behind the Civil War was due to the abolition of slavery (slaves were considered a major asset in the southern states), the following timeline shows there were many other factors involved as well. From the signing of the Declaration of Independence to the firing of the first shots at Fort Sumter, America’s journey for equality and unity was a hard one, leaving in its wake destruction, discord, and civil unrest. ____________________________________________________________ ____________ 1776: Declaration of Independence • Was written by Thomas Jefferson • Was signed on July 4th, severing all ties to Britain 1787: Northwest Ordinance • Was passed on July 13th establishing the intent to expand into the West adding new states to the Union. Constitutional Convention • Held their final meeting on September 17th signing into effect the Constitution of the United States. 1794: The Cotton Gin • Was patented by Eli Whitney, increasing the production of clean cotton • The value of and need for slaves increased within the cotton states. 1820: The Missouri Compromise • Was established to...
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