What Caused The Civil War Essay

​The civil war was one of the greatest dramas in American History, a story so filled with blood, glory, terror, and triumph. Not just Americans, but people all around the world have been fascinated by it. The idea of brother against brother has always been compelling. The civil war split Americans, in many cases dividing families so that brothers, fathers, and sons fought on opposite sides. For four terrible years, from 1861 to 1865, Americans from the Northern and Southern halves of the country fought and killed each other in a bloody civil war. Soldiers battled on foot and horseback on land, and on naval ships at sea; they were wounded by cannonballs, rifles, and bayonets; they died by the hundreds of thousands. The country reeled from the destruction.

​“ What caused the Civil War?

“ This is a question that people have been asking from the moment the war started right up to the present day, and there have been many different answers. Well looking at the documents I went back in time and by then, people were already fighting for freedom of slaves. But until this day historians cannot point out a logic reason to this question. In this essay we will be seeing the important evidence that help us consider what really caused the civil war.

​April 11, 1861; a date that hold great meaning to all American Citizens, a date out to fight for equality began. It is the date marking the beginning of the American Civil War. The Civil War was four long years of battle between the Northern and Southern parts of our country. Many people wonder what may have caused the Civil War. There are many things that contributed to the tension between the North and South leading up to the Civil War. Some of these include: the disagreements on nationhood and slavery along with multiple failures for the two sides to

compromise.

​A major disagreement between the North and the South adding to tension between the North and South was the opposite views on slavery on both sides. The North had what the world now would consider reasonable views on slavery while the South had very inhuman views on the subject. The northerners felt as though slaves were very unhappy and abused individuals who didn’t deserve to be treated the way they were (DOC G). On the other hand the Southerners thought that the American Slaves had good lives. The Southerners justified slavery with the idea that slaves had a place to live and no other responsibilities than to work for their owners (DOC H). These two different opinions on caused many problems between the North (Union) and South (Confederacy) which eventually led to the secession on the South from the Union. Another reasonable cause of the American Civil War is the difference in ideas of nationhood between both sides. The South’s yearn to secede after President Lincoln was elected caused trouble between the Union and Confederate states. People in the Confederated states believed that they had the right to secede (DOC E) the nation while the northerners believed “the Union of these states is perpetual” (DOC F), meaning the unity of all the American states should be never ending.

​The South, as a whole, struggles economically. Aside from a few wealthy plantation owners, most of the population consisted of poor, subsistence farmers. They had few railroads, limiting trade and the use of free, slave labor prevented the South from industrializing, which caused the economy of the South to fall behind that of the North. While the northern economy was thriving, the South was struggling. Part of this stratification was due to the Transportation Revolution, which occurred largely in the North. It allowed the North to trade with the Midwest breadbasket, increasing economic opportunity and prosperity through the construction of railroads. Document H shows the railroad routes in the US in 1860. While the South had just a few railroad lines, the North was covered in a web of railroad lines. This is evident of the economic property of the north versus the South, which caused great tensions and the breakup of the Union. These railroad lines also become important in the Civil War. It gave the North a distinct advantage by allowing them to easily transport soldiers and supplies. (DOC A) This map of railroads CLEARLY demonstrates the economic stratification of the Union due to slavery that led to its eventual breakup.

​The Supreme Court also declared that slavery was a state matter, thereby declaring all previous legislation regarding slavery null and void. This caused great tension over slavery, increasing conflict between the North and South. Political parties also became divided over the issue of slavery. In fact, as shown by DOCUMENT I, the democratic party split its votes between two candidates in the election of 1860. This allowed for the Republican, Abraham Lincoln to be elected President because his was the only widely attractive party that was not split over slavery.