Causes of the Civil War Essay Example For Students

Causes of the Civil War Essay Rhys Arnott 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 Constitution of the United States, not only at the request of the Southern ones, but also with the approval of many of the Northern delegates who saw that there was still much money to be made in the slave trade by the Yankee shipping industry. Eventually its existence came to influence every aspect of American life. The Compromise included admitting California as a free state and interstate slave trade to be abolished which went in favour of the North. The Compromise also went with the South when it included stricter fugitive slave laws and New Mexico and Utah were created without slave restrictions. A book called, â€Å"Uncle Toms Cabin† was also published at this time emphasising the evils of slavery. This added tension between the North and the South. The compromises seemed to have settled the issue of slavery but it was just putting back the problem. The North and the South were far from settling the slave issue. Another reason that caused the South to go to war was the difference in economic policies. The North was expanding more in the commercial and industrial side while the South was reliant on agriculture. Cities and factories had developed in the North and in the South, it was still staple-producing and agrarian. The Norths industry was beginning to dominate its economy while the South was still mainly based on agriculture. The South only produced manufactured goods for consumption and the North were able to export manufactured goods. The taxes and tariff was unfair to the South. The Tariff Act of 1832 put high import fees on all European manufactured good which was established to protect the Northern industries. The Souths reaction to the Act was a threat to secede from the Union. Railroads were also built to bond the northern tier of states. This made transportation easier in the Northeast than in the South. The Northeast traded with the West while the South can trade only by sea. â€Å"(W)antto promote the industry of the New England states, at the expense of the people of the South and their industry† In politics, the North had an advantage over the South. The North was more populated than the South and the South only counted slaves which was big part of their populations as * of a person. Since the House of Representative was based on population representation, the increasing population in the North gave them a big majority over the South. In the North, they strongly believe that majority rules and that they should make and execute the laws. This can be seen in the Lincoln-Douglas election when they were the favourites in the election. They are both from the North and the South wanted Douglas to win because he was for popular sovereignty. In the end, Lincoln won because the democratic party was split up and the Southerners was just outnumbered. La Haine Review Essay There were good reasons that the South entered the war. The North had been going over the line, trying to take away their state rights. The South had to stand up for themselves and fight for their moral rights. The South which was dependent on slavery would have been devastated if slavery was abolished. The prospering North was trying to control most of the South for their own capital benefits. This war was not fought on the institution of slavery but on maintaining the Southern civilisation.