To what extent was abolitionism responsible for the American Civil War? The abolitionist movement proved to be responsible for the outbreak of the American Civil war to a great extent, however it is also intertwined with other political factors such as the westward expansion of additional states, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 and the secession of southern states. Westward expansion led to tension between the north and the south, the election of Abraham Lincoln worried southern states over the loss of slavery, the secession of southern states increased tension between the north and south and without Abolitionism the southern states would not have felt pressured enough to secede. Westward expansion placed pressure on both the north …show more content…
The south refused to recognise federal authority over forts and other installations within their territories. When Union forces attempted to resupply Fort Sumter, Confederate forces bombarded the fort, forcing its surrender. This act of aggression by the Confederacy against federal forces demonstrated that secession had indeed led to armed conflict. President Lincoln’s refusal to recognise the secession indicates the North's commitment to preserving the Union, showing a willingness to confront seceding states. President Abraham Lincoln, along with the majority of Northern political leaders, firmly rejected the legality and legitimacy of secession. Lincoln's inaugural addresses and subsequent speeches emphasized that the Union was perpetual, and that secession was unconstitutional. This stance indicated the North's commitment to maintaining the integrity of the United States. The mobilisation of union troops shows the North's decision to engage in armed conflict rather than allow secession to go unchallenged. Following the outbreak of hostilities at Fort Sumter, both the federal government and Northern states mobilized their military forces and allocated resources to suppress the rebellion. The rapid mobilization of troops, the establishment of the Union army, and the enactment of measures such as the first federal income tax and …show more content…
Abolitionist literature, such as pamphlets, newspapers, and books, disseminated anti-slavery ideas and arguments throughout the North. Works like William Lloyd Garrison's "The Liberator" and "Uncle Tom's cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe exposed the brutality and immorality of slavery, fuelling public outrage and increasing opposition to the institution. Abolitionist activists organized lectures, rallies, and protests, advocating for the immediate abolition of slavery. This growing abolitionist sentiment in the North directly challenged the economic and social foundations of slavery in the South. In October 1859, abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to initiate a slave rebellion. Although the raid was quickly suppressed by federal troops, it sent shockwaves throughout the South and heightened fears of slave uprisings. Brown's actions reinforced the perception among Southern slaveholders that abolitionists were willing to resort to violence to end slavery, deepening their sense of paranoia and insecurity. Abolitionist societies, such as the American Anti-Slavery Society and the Liberty Party, provided platforms for individuals to voice their opposition to slavery and organize anti-slavery activities. These societies
By the time of his speech South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Texas had already seceded from the Union. In his speech Lincoln had three main points: “to hold, occupy, and possess the property and places belonging to the government,” secession was impossible because the Union was unbreakable, and that any use of arms against the United States would be met with force but he would never be first to attack (Grafton 80). Lincoln aspired to increase his support in the North without alienating the South where most disliked him in fear of the end of slavery. In his speech however, Lincoln made it clear that his intention was not to interfere with slavery quoting “I have no purpose, directly, or indirectly, to interfere with the institution of slavery in the States where it exists. I believe I have no lawful right to do so, and I have no inclination to do so” (Grafton 81). In hope to make amends with the South Lincoln closed by saying “We are not enemies, but friends. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature” (Grafton 81). Although meant to unify the North and South, this address had a larger impact on another
In the spring 1861, years of building tensions between the northern states and southern states resulted in the American Civil War. In 1680 an anti-slavery Republican, Abraham Lincoln was elected president causing seven southern states to secede from the union. These seven states included--Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas--. These seven states formed the Confederate States of America. The American Civil War lasted from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1865 and claimed more than roughly 620,000 lives. So what caused the Civil War? The three main causes of the Civil War were differences between the north and the south in economies, disagreements in abolishing slavery, and whether the State or Federal
The American Civil War was fought between the North (The Union) and the South (The Confederates), because of the South wanting to secede from the North. Lincoln's election as president in 1860, triggered southerners' decision to secede believing Lincoln would restrict their rights to own slaves. Lincoln stated that secession was "legally void" and had no intentions of invading the Southern states, but would use force to maintain possession of federal property. Despite his pleas for the restorations of the bonds of union, the South fired upon the federal troops stationed at Fort Sumter, in Charlestown, Virginia. This was the event that decided the eventual beginning of the Civil War. Despite the advantages of Northerners, their victory in the ...
In conclusion the election of Lincoln as president in 1860 caused a civil war because it was falsely perceived by the south that Lincoln would threaten the state’s constitutional right to slavery. This false idea was due to a rift between the northern and southern states in both an economic and ideological manner. That is the north was based on industry and generally was opposed to slavery. But the South was an agricultural society which ran on slavery and, due to Nat Turner’s Insurrection and John Brown’s stand at Harper’s Ferry, was fearful of the north’s involvement in the governing of states as well as being opposed to this on the basis of state’s rights. The election of Lincoln caused the south to succeed from the union causing civil war.
Abolitionism quickly gained popularity since 1821 when William Lloyd Garrison assisted in writing an anti-slavery newspaper, The Genius of Universal Emancipation, with Benjamin Lundy. In 1831, abolitionism continued to grow in popularity when William Lloyd Garrison started The Liberator. Although there remained not a need for slaves in the North, slavery remained very big in the South for growing “cash crops.” The majority of the abolitionists who inhabited the North organized speeches, meetings, and newspapers to spread their cause. Initially, only small revolts and fights occurred. However, major events along the way led to the Harpers Ferry Raid. For example, with Kansas choosing whether or not to become a free or slave state. That became the biggest event up until John Brown’s Raid. John Brown had always despised slavery, and this enhanced his chance as an organized revolt. The effect of his raid on Harpers Ferry affected what the South thought about abolitionists and the power that they held.
In this essay I am going to discuss the causes of the civil war and if slavery was one of the main reasons it happened. I think the civil war started because of lots of different reasons, slavery and the westward expansion being some of them, but I am going to talk about how I think slavery is definitely one of the main causes.1 In 1808 there were more than one million slaves in the United States. The number of slaves continued to increase. In some Southern states for example, South Carolina, slaves outnumbered the amount of the white population. Slavery started to come about around 1776. Slavery had been practised in British North America from early colonial days. Slavery was recognised in the thirteen colonies at the time of the Declaration of Independence.
The abolitionist movement caused major impact on the nation as a whole compared to the antislavery movement before the 1830s. This was due to the major support received in the 1830s by all the leaders that arouse at this time. The commotion caused by all the propaganda published during this movement. As well as the spark left in the nation by the antislavery movement in the nation before 1830s.
Near the end of the Antebellum Era, tensions and sectionalism increased as the states argued over what was constitutional. The South had later seceded from the United States and had become the Confederacy of America while the North had remained as the Union. The South had fully supported states’ rights while the north had strongly disapproved it. However, westward expansion, southern anger with the abolitionists, and the secession of the South that had destroyed the feeling of unity in the country because of the disagreement over slavery had been the main factors to the cause of the Civil War. Therefore, since slavery was the primary reason for the discontent in the country, it had been the primary cause of the Civil War.
Throughout the years, many people have been taught that the reason the Civil War happened, was to abolish slavery all through the United States. Although that is true, there were more reasons why the Civil War occurred.Referencing will be done on different articles and writers to support the findings of the authors. The article “Slavery, the Constitutional, and the Origins of the Civil War” by Paul Finkelman, discusses about the North (union) and the South (confederacy) and the disagreement of the territories following the constitutional laws regarding slavery, the article explores both sides of the territories and their beliefs of how the situation of slavery should have been dealt with. The article “The Economic Origins of the Civil War” by Marc Egnal, discusses the North’s (union) and the South’s (confederacy) economic situation that could have pushed the two territories to engage in war with one another. Finally, the last article “Politics, Ideology, and the Origins of the American Civil War” by Eric Foner, focuses on the Norths (union) and Souths (confederacy) views on politics and ideas of how each territory is ran and how they have affected the North and the South. These historians supplied specific and different explanations that explained what exactly caused the United States to enter into a Civil War. With the information provided by the authors, the evidence will lead us to the answer of what caused the Civil War.
The majority of speculations regarding the causes of the American Civil War are in some relation to slavery. While slavery was a factor in the disagreements that led to the Civil War, it was not the solitary or primary cause. There were three other, larger causes that contributed more directly to the beginning of the secession of the southern states and, eventually, the start of the war. Those three causes included economic and social divergence amongst the North and South, state versus national rights, and the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dred Scott case. Each of these causes involved slavery in some way, but were not exclusively based upon slavery.
By trying to trick them, the South rebelled as soon as Lincoln became president and launched what is today known as the Civil War. The secession of the United States was the cause of the Civil War. The Southern Confederates were furious at the Northern Union for trying to abolish slavery. When Lincoln was elected president, he tried to once and for all abolish slavery in the North as well as the West. He tried to contain slavery to its geographical area to keep it from spreading anymore north, but the South erupted in rebellion and eventually went to war against the North in the Civil War.
The American Civil War was the bloodiest military conflict in American history leaving over 500 thousand dead and over 300 thousand wounded (Roark 543-543). One might ask, what caused such internal tension within the most powerful nation in the world? During the nineteenth century, America was an infant nation, but toppling the entire world with its social, political, and economic innovations. In addition, immigrants were migrating from their native land to live the American dream (Roark 405-407). Meanwhile, hundreds of thousand African slaves were being traded in the domestic slave trade throughout the American south. Separated from their family, living in inhumane conditions, and working countless hours for days straight, the issue of slavery was the core of the Civil War (Roark 493-494). The North’s growing dissent for slavery and the South’s dependence on slavery is the reason why the Civil War was an inevitable conflict. Throughout this essay we will discuss the issue of slavery, states’ rights, American expansion into western territories, economic differences and its effect on the inevitable Civil War.
The American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, or simply the Civil War in the United States, was a civil war fought from 1861 to 1865, after seven Southern slave states declared their secession and formed the Confederate States of America . The states that remained in the Union were known as the "Union" or the "North". The war had its origin in the fractious issue of slavery, especially the extension of slavery into the western territories. Foreign powers did not intervene. After four years of bloody combat that left over 600,000 soldiers dead and destroyed much of the South's infrastructure, the Confederacy collapsed, slavery was abolished, and the difficult Reconstruction process of restoring national unity and guaranteeing rights to the freed slaves began.
The Civil War was a result of the controversy regarding the issue of slavery. The war was brought on by the separation of the Union causing secession when the southern states wanted to create an independent confederacy that allowed slavery. There were several other factors that contributed to the start and prolongation of the Civil War. These events included but were not limited to The Dred Scott decision, the Underground Railroad, the Missouri Compromise, the raid on Harper’s Ferry, and the secession of the southern states. African-Americans contributed largely and had many important roles in the war effort to end slavery during the American Civil War.
Also known as the Second Great Awakening, the Abolitionist Movement swept through the colonies in the early 1830’s. This was a movement to abolish slavery and to give blacks their freedom as citizens. Many men and women, free and enslaved, fought for this cause and many were imprisoned or even killed for speaking out. If it were not for these brave people, slavery would still exist today. The Abolitionist Movement paved the way in eradicating slavery by pursuing moral and political avenues, providing the foundation for the Underground Railroad, and creating a voice for African Americans.