What Did The North Cause The Civil War Essay

There are various explanations as to who and what really caused the Civil War. It is even fair to say that sometimes morals stand in the way when deciding who really started the war. Therefore, the facts must be analyzed clearly and in depth. It is true that the north played a major role in the Civil War, however, the south would not release their strict traditional beliefs of slavery. As time progressed, slavery debates pressured the South more and more to stand by their strict beliefs. Fugitive acts, Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Secession all showed how the south used brutal methods to preserve slavery. Therefore, since the popular sovereignty doctrine, the pro-slavery souths’ strict use of slavery and decisions to secede from the nation, angered the north, leading to a civil war.
Slavery

appears to be the root cause of the Civil War, and became a widely discussed topic.

A solution to limit slavery debates led to the creation of a doctrine known as Popular Sovereignty. “A territory could decide by vote whether or not to permit slavery within its boundaries.” Therefore, this doctrine gave the territory right to be pro-slavery or anti-slavery. Although the doctrine ruled in favor of the majority of the population of a territory, not one hundred percent of the territory’s population was always in compliance. It is commonly discussed that slavery was something that greatly segregated the north from the south. With the south being pro-slavery, many were aware that the south needed slavery for particular services or else they would not feel so strongly to preserve slavery. “Slavery was basically a system to control labor, being a great investment for slave-owners to profit from.” Slaves were necessary for cotton production and other farm duties. “Cotton was king in the Old South: its primary export and the major source of southern wealth.” Furthermore, the south

depended on slaves for wealth and institutional success. The south was very eager to withhold slaves, as slaves were their legal property and main source of wealth. Actions demonstrated by slaves further highlighted how eager the south was to withhold their ties to slavery despite the north being a free land. Slaves began to flee to free states, desperately seeking a better life. Then, fugitive acts were created and by law they had to be practiced. “Fugitive laws meant that all slaves had to be returned to their owner if they ran away, it also became illegal to aid runaway slaves.” Finally, this made opponents of slavery very angry and therefore demonstrated how slavery was a nationwide problem more so than a regional problem, therefore paving the way for changes to be made nationally.
Politics in the North greatly discussed slavery in the Election of 1860 and angered much of the south. The South remained strong in the beliefs of slavery and lashed out on slaves in the process. In the popular book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, slaveholders are brought to light on their severe position in slavery. Slavery was no longer an opportunity of wealth, slavery became a moral issue as slaveholders were mistreating slaves just because they were property. Americans began to be persuaded by the story telling of the slavery lifestyle. In Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” Harriet Stowe identified the horrors of slavery and how Uncle Tom was a loyal slave, but whipped to death by his owner.” After the book about Uncle Tom rose in popularity, it angered the future voters in north because the stories told in the book demonstrated the lack of morals slaveholders in the south had. It can logically be stated that northerners felt the need to find solutions to fix the societal issue, specifically the issue of slave treatment. Then, abolitionist began to support anti- slavery. “William Lloyd Garrison founded the anti-slavery society.” What this particular society did was call for immediate depletion of slavery. Slavery had been the heart of the south’s booming economy for years, and they were totally dependent on slaves for agriculture, therefore the depletion of slavery posed a major threat to southerners’ livelihood. Garrison’s stance was that slavery was becoming a national issue that society had to respond to in regards of slaves. Southern slave-owners did not believe slavery was an issue. However, northerners opposed that argument. In fact, the south saw slaves as pure property. “The Constitution of the United States supported that slaves were not citizens, but property and remained property unless they resided in a territory where slavery was voted against.” Therefore, the south was legally allowed to own slaves, but was it moral to mistreatment them just because they were considered legal property especially after slaves began to speak out about the brutal treatment?
Finally, the south plans to expand west to fertile lands with claims justifying their expansions. “Southerners were convinced that without new western lands to employ the growing population of slaves, the market value of the slaves would decline while the cost of sustaining them remained, thereby threatening the viability of the institution itself.” Furthermore, Abraham Lincoln takes his stance to halt the expansion of slavery. “By the time President Lincoln took oath of office, seven southern states secede, forming a confederacy.” These actions of the southern states were all in favor to preserve the slave institution they had created for themselves. Forming a confederacy illustrates how the south struck first in the war, already preparing. After all, Lincoln stance was to halt the expansion of slavery to lands that where in other terms “off limits”. The Deep South was not willing to compromise anymore with the north, “seven states in the deep south seceded.” It can be fairly stated that slave-owners investment were at stake and sustaining slaves was becoming harder without new lands. Slaves were the souths’ basic means of wealth and success at that particular time. In addition, the south hardly considered addressing the negative aspects of slavery. Southerners continuously defended the logic behind the brutality of their actions, basically arguing that slaves are property and legally the south was correct, slaves were property. Finally, in the defense of their long lasting beliefs, the south felt breaking the union apart and seceding form the nation would be the only decision to fill their own selfish needs.
Overall, “the compromise of 1850 kept things in accordance for a while, momentarily stalling the war.” However, the south remained consistent in their beliefs which is why they are often referred to as the “Old South.” The souths’ treatment of slaves represented in sources such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin furthered opened the eyes of citizens in the north, angering them. As Lincoln halted the expansion of slavery, the south knew that seceding would allow them to have their way, which is explains why the confederacy was formed, and war begin.