Causes of the Civil War Essay - 661 Words

A major conflict in the United States’ history is the American Civil War. Many causes led to the Civil War. This all happened around the mid 1800s. It was a conflict between the Northern and Southern states. Both sides had their own view on slavery, and their separate views caused contentions between the two. Both had different views on whether to expand or stop slavery growth to the West, or have slavery at all. The biggest cause was a social difference between slave and anti-slave states. Also, the growth of the abolition movement added to the turmoil. Most importantly is the land gained from the Mexican War, and what should be done with the land gained. To try and resolve the conflicts over the land, congress kept making compromises.†¦show more content†¦So Northerners never realized the importance of slaves to the South and were inconsiderate towards the Southern farmers. This caused unfair compromises to be created and caused fights and feeling of enmity towards each other. Also, Harriet Beecher Stowe’s book, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, caused Northerners to have a false understanding that Southerners were extremely cruel to their slaves. Correspondingly, there was the quarrel over state versus federal rights. States felt they didn’t have any say if they disliked a federal law. So when all these compromises came about concerning slavery in the West, people wanted to be able to nullify federal laws. To nullify is to cancel, and in this case to cancel a federal law. People like John C. Calhoun fought for this right along with many others. However, the federal government felt this was not necessary, therefore, some states threatened to secede. The final cause leading to the Civil War was Abraham Lincoln’s election. Lincoln in truth fought for and against slavery depending on the situation. However, Southerners strongly believed Lincoln was anti-slavery. So before Lincoln even entered the office seven states had already seceded. These states included the following: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Lincoln was moderate towards slavery at first, but many congressmen agreed that the South was becoming too strong and slavery should not beShow MoreRelatedCauses of the Civil War951 Words   |  4 PagesCAUSE OF THE CIVIL WAR In 1860, the world s greatest nation was locked in Civil War. The war divided the country between the North and South. There were many factors that caused this war, but the main ones were the different interpretations of the Constitution by the North and South, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the arrival of Lincoln in office. These factors were very crucial in the bringing upon of the destruction of the Union. They caused immediate war. 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