Another factor was territorial expansion. Support Your Local PBS Station: It was now that slavery became mixed up with state rights – just how much power a state had compared to federal authority. Strong proponents of states rights like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry were not present at this meeting. The Civil War erupted from a variety of long-standing tensions and disagreements about American life and politics. What Were the Top 4 Causes of the Civil War? Kansas was officially opened to settlement in 1854 a… The Civil War erupted from a variety of long-standing tensions and disagreements about American life and politics. When antislavery candidate Abraham Lincoln was elected president (1860), the Southern states seceded. John Brown and his family fought on the anti-slavery side of "Bleeding Kansas." Population of the United States 1860: Compiled from the Original Returns of the 8th Census. ", Pressing Issues That Led to the Civil War. The fight even erupted on the floor of the Senate when anti-slavery proponent Sen. Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was beaten on the head by South Carolina Sen. Preston Brooks. Between Election Day and Lincoln's inauguration in March, seven states seceded from the Union: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. "Part II: Population." This war lasted from 1861-1865 and divided the nation into the “north” and the “south”. This was shot down amid much debate. As a result of certain social differences, civil wars may erupt, which makes a country lack stability and peace. The country's divisions were clear on Election Day. Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | © 2003 - 2014 Oregon Public Broadcasting. In the end all of these disagreement onboth sides led to the Civil War, in which the North won. The Causes And Effects Of The Civil War 1564 Words | 7 Pages. With an economy based more on industry than agriculture, the North enjoyed a steady flow of European immigrants. At the same time, the increase in the number of plantations willing to move from other crops to cotton created an even greater need for enslaved people. This caused it to become known as "Bleeding Kansas." The cause of the Civil War dates back to long before the first shots were fired by the South at Fort Sumter, South Carolina in 1861. Civil War Causes 1188 Words | 5 Pages. The Major Causes of War in Nigeria is traced down to the attempted secessions of the southern region or province of Nigeria and also religious, economic, ethnic, and cultural tensions between the Hausas of the Northern region of Nigeria and the Igbos of the eastern part of Nigeria. Statistical View of the United States, Compendium of the Seventh Census. John C. Bell represented the Constitutional Union Party, a group of conservative Whigs hoping to avoid secession. Even though things were already near a boiling point after Lincoln was elected, South Carolina issued its "Declaration of the Causes of Secession" on December 24, 1860. The real issue occurred in Kansas where pro-slavery Missourians, called "Border Ruffians," began to pour into the state in an attempt to force it toward slavery. Brooks Attacks Sumner 1856 Secession of Southern States The issue over slavery sparks violence in the senate, Senator Charles Sumner gives a speech in the Senate "The Crime Against Kansas". Though it was often supported throughout the social and economic classes, not every White Southerner enslaved people. The population of the pro-slavery states was around 9.6 million in 1850 and only about 350,000 were enslavers. This included many of the wealthiest families, a number of whom owned large plantations. In this study, the surveyed adult Liberians identified greed and corruption most frequently as the causes of the conflict (63%). In the Southern states, longer growing seasons and fertile soils had established an economy based on agriculture fueled by sprawling plantations owned by White people that depended on enslaved people to perform a wide range of duties. American Civil War, four-year war (1861–65) fought between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded to form the Confederate States of America. Washington: A.O.P. "What Were the Top 4 Causes of the Civil War?" It created two new territories that would allow the states to use popular sovereignty to determine whether they would be free states or pro-slavery states. The South, however, continued to hold onto a social order based on white supremacy in both private and political life, not unlike that under the rule of racial apartheid that persisted in South Africa for decades. Who Were the Democratic Presidents of the United States? medical practices and treatment methods are indebted to the Civil War. "What Were the Top 4 Causes of the Civil War?" This established a rule that prohibited enslavement in states from the former Louisiana Purchase north of the latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes, with the exception of Missouri. DeBow, J.D.B. As with most wars, however, there was no single cause. People such as William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass wanted immediate freedom for all enslaved people. President James Buchanan's administration did little to quell the tension or stop what would become known as "Secession Winter." This speech targeted senator Andre Butler, Senator Preston Brooks hit … The Democratic party was divided between factions in the North and South. Another 40% mentioned identity and tribal divisions, while less than one in three adult Liberians mentioned poverty (30%), and inequalities (27%). There were other motives as well, as some Northern newspapers admitted. The federal government denied states this right. When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became very profitable. WHAT CAUSED THE CIVIL WAR: THE SETTING. State rights became intermingled with slavery. This machine was able to reduce the time it took to separate seeds from the cotton. Video: Washington: Beverley Tucker, 1854.Â, De Bow, J.D.B. The Civil War profoundly shaped the United States as we know it today. Since the time of the American Revolution, two camps emerged when it came to the role of government. However, proponents such as John C. Calhoun—who resigned as vice president to represent South Carolina in the Senate—fought vehemently for nullification. A common explanation is that the Civil War was fought over the moral issue of slavery. Some people argued for greater rights for the states and others argued that the federal government needed to have more control. An attempt was made to ensure that equal numbers of free states and pro-slavery states were admitted to the Union, but over time this proved difficult. Below are listed some of the Causes of the American Civil War. Here is a look at the main causes of the Civil War: Unfair Taxation and State’s Rights. Having acknowledged that, let me also say I have long believed there is no more concise or stirring accounting for the war than the sentiments propounded by Irish poet William Butler Yeats in The Second Coming, some lines of which are included in t… The South wished to take slavery into the western territories, while the North was committed to keeping them open to white labor alone. At the time of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the enslavement of people not only remained legal in all 13 British American colonies, but it also continued to play a significant role in their economies and societies. The abolitionists came with a variety of viewpoints. Causes of the Civil War Fact #1: The Civil War was fought between the Northern and the Southern states from 1861-1865. In the North, this new party was seen as both anti-slavery and for the advancement of the American economy. Causes of the Civil War Election of Abraham Lincoln. A group that included Theodore Weld and Arthur Tappan advocated for emancipating enslaved people slowly. elections) inspired by ‘The Arab Spring ‘ – a wave of violent and non-violent protests which had swept across many North African and Middle Eastern Countries in December – January 2012. They were responsible for the Pottawatomie Massacre, in which they killed five settlers who were pro-slavery. Yet, Brown's best-known fight would be his last when the group attacked Harper's Ferry in 1859, a crime for which he would hang. Feeling excluded from the political system, they turned to the only alternative they believed was left to them: secession, a political decision that led directly to war. The protesters were protesting … The trigger event which caused the Civil War in Syria was when 1000s of people took the street in January 2011 to demand political reforms (e.g. In both the North and South, these differences influenced views on the powers of the federal government to control the economies and cultures of the states. However, a growing movement to abolish slavery had led many Northern states to enact abolitionist laws and abandon enslavement. The causes and effects of the Civil War will be defined through the institution of slavery, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the military leadership of President Lincoln to resolve the uncompromising political position of the South/Confederacy. Even when the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1789, very few Black people and no enslaved people were allowed to vote or own property. Principal among the issues were the following: Enslavement Donate Now. In contrast, industry ruled the economy of the North and less emphasis was on agriculture, though even that was more diverse. While some of these differences might have been resolved peacefully through diplomacy, the institution of slavery was not among them. Legislative Compromises Over Enslavement, 1820–1854, Order of Secession During the American Civil War, Black American History and Women Timeline: 1800–1859, Frederick Douglass: Formerly Enslaved Man and Abolitionist Leader. Prior to the American Revolution, the institution of slavery in America had become firmly established as being limited to persons of African ancestry. This work looks into the social factors that breed the civil wars. There were many causes of the Civil War, but the religious conflict, almost unimaginable in modern America, cut very deep at the time. You may also like: Jacqueline Jones on Civil War Savannah George Forgie on Civil War classics Daina Berry on former-slave narratives. Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America. The causes of the Civil War may be traced to a complex mix of factors, some of which can be traced back to the earliest years of American colonization. The American Civil War of 1861-1865 was fought between the Union (the northern states) and The Confederates (the southern states) under the presidency of Abraham Lincoln. More from Wes about the causes of the Civil War. This lesson explores the problems Charles brought upon himself to cause the English Civil War. This international conflict is perhaps the most written about and studied piece of United States history. Washington DC: Government Printing Office, 1864. The key issue was whether slavery would be allowed in the newly created states that were joining the Union. 10 most important political, economic and social causes of the American Civil War including the issue of slavery, the economics of cotton, Territorial Expansion of The United States, The Abolitionist Movement and more. Main Causes of the American Civil War. At the same time, the conflicts surrounding Kansas and the Compromise of 1850 transformed the Whig party into the Republican party (established in 1854). The question “what caused the U.S. Civil War?” has been debated since the horrific conflict ended in 1865. Many felt that the new Constitution ignored the rights of states to continue to act independently. Abraham Lincoln was born into relative poverty in Kentucky in 1809. Kennedy, Joseph C.G. In this atmosphere, the seeds of white supremacy were sown. Abraham Lincoln represented the new Republican Party and Stephen Douglas, the Northern Democrat, was seen as his biggest rival. Lincoln won the North, Breckenridge the South, and Bell the border states. The north and south had vastly different economies. Nevertheless, the war remains one of the most misunderstood events in American history. At the start of the Civil War, at least 4 million enslaved people were forced to live and work on the Southern plantations. When nullification would not work and many of the Southern states felt that they were no longer respected, they moved toward thoughts of secession. The conflict was exacerbated by the participation of foreign actors, especially the Palestinian Liberation … Students of all age groups know at least something about this war. This is the fourth lesson I have created for a series of lessons on the English Civil War. They felt that the states should still have the right to decide if they were willing to accept certain federal acts. Learn more about why the Civil War was fought. One of the most shocking events occurred when one-quarter of the nation's army surrendered in Texas under the command of General David E. Twigg. In fact, it was the economics of slavery and political control of that system that was central to the conflict. The causes of the Civil War and its cost to a young nation. Below is an explanation of each cause and how it impacted the outcome of war. It arose out of disputes over slavery and states’ rights. ThoughtCo. Causes of the civil war. Noll and others highlight the significance of the religion issue for the famous phrase in Lincoln's second inaugural : "Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other." The presidential election of 1860 would be the deciding point for the Union. In the South, Republicans were seen as little more than divisive. A perfect causes of the civil war essay example The causes of the civil war easily break down into cultural, political, economic, and others. Kelly, Martin. The Missouri Compromise passed in 1820. The History of the Three-Fifths Compromise, What Is Sectionalism? The Compromise of 1850 was created by Henry Clay and others to deal with the balance between pro-slavery states and free states. Many Northern industries were purchasing the South's raw cotton and turning it into finished goods.