Civil War Causes

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Most Americans are unaware of what the main cause of the Civil War actually was. Some say it was because Southerners attempted to preserve slavery, while others would disagree and highlight other causes such states rights and unfair taxation. This debate may never come to a conclusion but in my opinion slavery, compared to all other causes of the war, was the most crucial catalyst in setting the stage for war. Slavery is defined as a system where human beings are treated as property and work for someone without pay. These people were captured against their will, bought, sold, and held until the time they die unless they ran away. Slavery began in the 17th century and soon spread throughout the American colonies after the English brought …show more content…
Forty percent of America’s population left their homes in the east and began to expand westward in search of economic opportunity; this is widely known as Manifest Destiny. This explosive growth fanned the flames of the growing conflict over slavery and its future. So, would slavery be allowed in the new western states? The Missouri Compromise in 1820 admitted Missouri to the union as a slave state and Maine as a free state to balance the number of slave states and free states. The issue over slavery continued since the Missouri Compromise did not apply to the territories not included in the Louisiana Purchase. The Compromise of 1850 played a huge role in postponing the Civil War for a decade. During these 10 years, the North was able to industrialize while the South depended on the use of slavery and cash crops, which ceased their ability to industrialize. This gave the North a huge advantage in the upcoming war because they were able to supply and man its armed forces better than the South. However, four years after the Compromise of 1850, the Kansas Nebraska Act opened all new lands for settlement and allowed white male settlers to determine whether or not they would allow slavery within each territory through popular sovereignty. The Supreme Court’s ruling in the Dred Scott case ruled that all territories were open to slavery in 1857. The South would soon reach its breaking point with the election of Abraham
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