Causes of the American Civil War Essay example - 878 Words

Causes of the American Civil War The American Civil War is one of the most significant and controversial periods in American history. The Civil War was caused by mounting conflicting pressures, principles, and prejudices, fueled by differences and pride, and set into motion by unlikely set of political events. At the root of all of the problems was the establishment of slavery, which had been introduced into North America in early colonial times. The American Revolution had been fought to confirm the idea that all men were created equal, yet slavery was legal in all of the thirteen colonies throughout the revolutionary period. Although it was largely gone from the northern states by 1787, it was still enshrined in the new†¦show more content†¦It became an institution that southerners felt bound to protect. But even as the need to protect it grew, the ability to do this from the South?s perspective was diminishing. Southern leaders grew progressively more sensitive to this condition. In 1800 half of the population of the United States had lived in the South. But by 1850 only a third lived there and the gap continued to widen. Even though slave states were added to the Union to balance the number of free ones, the South found that its representatives in the House had been overwhelmed by the North?s explosive growth. More and more emphasis was now placed on maintaining equality in the Senate. Failing this meant that the South would find itself at the mercy of a government, in which it no longer had an effective voice in. Of course there was protest in the North for the abolition of the slavery on purely moral grounds. Abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison, holding up a copy of the Federal Constitution before a crowd in Massachusetts called it ?a covenant with death, and an agreement with hell.? The abolitionists believed not only that slavery was wrong, but that the Federal government should move to abolish it. Although they were always a small minority they were very vocal about their beliefs, and projected themselves into the minds of southerners as aShow MoreRelatedCauses Of The American Civil War760 Words   |  4 PagesThe Civil War was one of the most momentous and pivotal periods in U.S history. After decades of tension between the North and South over matters involving expansion, slavery, and the states rights these caused the beginning of a horrific devastating time known as the American Civil War, that lasted between 1861-1865. Within these 4 long barbaric and destructive years, it led to an innumerous amount of political, social, and economical changes for the U.S. Leaving 2.4 million dead and millionsRead MoreCause Of The American Civil War1403 Words   |  6 Pagesdebates on the causes of the American Civil War. Many have stated that slavery was the primary cause for the Civil War. Some historians have argued that there were other causes of the Civil War. The one thing that all historians agreed upon was the division between the North (known as the Union) and the South (known as the Confederacy) that escalated on the soil of the United States of America (In Stampp, 1965). The battle between the two states is what created the â€Å"American Civil War.† The AmericanRead MoreCauses of the American Civil War2672 Words   |  11 Pagesï » ¿ The American Civil War: Causes, Victor, and Validity Keagan Koerber History 205 Professor Childress December 9, 2014 The slightest mention of the American Civil War is enough to bring graphic and often horrifying images into one’s head: mountains of dead soldiers, amputations without anesthesia, and diseases running rampant. The Civil War was a war that no one wished for, it resulted in the deaths of several hundred thousand American lives, but it is often justified by itsRead MoreCauses Of The American Civil War1769 Words   |  8 PagesThe American Civil War was one of the most tragic events in American history. The American Civil War began on April 12, 1861 and ended on May 9, 1865. It was a bloody war between states. Hundreds of thousands of men died in the American Civil war. The war was fought between brothers and friends on each side. The issue of slavery was dividing the nation apart and it was a fight to death. The Confederate States of America seceded because they wanted slavery to continue and believed that they did notRead MoreThe Causes Of The American Civil War Essay2218 Words   |  9 PagesDay One: Grades: Elementary grade level 5th-6th Goal: Students will be able to identify the causes of the American Civil War. Objectives: 1. Students will be able to compare the cultures and economies of the Northern and Southern states. 2. Students will be able to summarize the main points of the Missouri Compromise, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the Declaration of Causes of the Seceding States. 3. Students will be able to discuss the actions of John Brown at Harpers Ferry and the reaction ofRead MoreThe Main Cause Of The American Civil War1047 Words   |  5 Pagesone main cause of the American Civil war must be resolved, and while there are many ideas, history reveals that there was only one. There are many arguable motives to the start of the Civil War, but there are four main concepts. These four concepts were slavery, taxation, the election of Abraham Lincoln and lastly, struggling with power between the Northern and Southern states. To start with, the end of slavery is undoubtedly one of the most popular arguments to the creation of the Civil War. WhileRead MoreThe Ultimate Causes Of The American Civil War941 Words   |  4 PagesThe American Civil War was a war fought within the United States of America between the North (Union) and the South (Confederacy) The war was one of the most critical events in American history. â€Å"It is estimated that 623,000 soldiers died during the Civil War†(Garrison) starting from 1861 and ending in 1865. While many still debate the ultimate causes of the Civil War, author James McPherson writes that, The Civil War started because of uncompromising differences between the free and slave statesRead MoreCauses of the American Civil War Essay1181 Words   |  5 PagesThe Civil War was caused by a myriad of conflicting pressures, principles, and prejudices, fueled by sectional differences and pride, and set into motion by a most unlikely set of political events. From the co lonial period in America where the institution of slavery began, through the period of the revolution whereby blood was shed to validate the notion that all men were created equal (yet slavery existed in all thirteen colonies), to the era of the Civil War itself, it is undoubtedly clear thatRead MoreCauses of the American Civil War Essay1118 Words   |  5 Pagesversion of the civil war and even now I am just coming to a full understanding of the truth. The civil war was a terrible rift in our nation, fought between the northern states (known as the union) and the southern states (the Confederate States of America). The people’s opinions were so divided over the issues of the civil war that, in some families, brother was pit against brother. Eventually, the south succumbed to the north and surrendered on April 9th, 1865 but not before the war had caused 618Read MoreEssay on Cause of the American Civil War1732 Words   |  7 Pages The cause of the American Civil War has b een a politicized subject for the past 152 years. There are many different theories for what the main cause is, however the best answer is an all of the above approach. The cause of the war that divided the nation cannot be narrowly defined into a single issue but each cause is affected and tied together. The main causes that resulted in the Civil War were the issue of nullification, tariffs, but most importantly just an overall difference in their ways