Slavery
Slavery was the main issue that sparked the war, in short Northerners wanted to abolish slavery, while the Southerners wanted to keep and expand slavery. Slavery led to other problems like state rights, economic and social differences, sectional and political issues. These problems will become conflict until war breaks out. |
Sectional Issues
During the time before the war, United States was divided into sections. The Northern States which were against slavery, the Southern States who were pro-slavery, and the unorganized Western Territory. To ensure balance in the government the number of slave states and free states were always equal. But as the Western Territories apply for statehood, this delicate balance in the government starts to break. Congress, trying to save the government, used compromises and acts. This, most of the time, just enraged more people though. Like the idea of popular sovereignty, that was used to elect the territory of Nebraska and Kansas into statehood. It cause a major conflict in Kansas that some believe was the start of the civil war. |
Economic Issues
The economic differences between the North and the South also caused the war, the North was industrialized, with mills where all the hard labour is done by machines. The South on the other hand was rural and had huge plantations and farms where manual labor and slaves are crucial. This is why the south needed slavery, without it, the southern economy will drop dramatically. This is also part of the reason why the South seceded. Also, there was a tariff on imported goods making the cotton demand drop, also lowering the southern economy |
Southern Secession
The election of Abraham Lincoln finally pushed the Southern States to secede, they justify their reason with state rights and the 10th amendment, stating that all powers not given to the Federal Government is given to the states which includes slavery. The Southern States created the Confederate States of America, they written a new constitution similar to the U.S. Constitution with changes regarding slavery and elected their first president, Jefferson Davis. Seceding from the Union didn't cut the relation with the Union though, they argued over Fort Sumter. The fort was controlled by the Union, but was deep in Confederate territory. So while the Union tried to resupply the fort, they were fired upon by Confederate troops, and the stage was set for the Civil War to begin.