FREE ESSAY ON THE CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR

THE CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR

The Political War
The North and South fought over politics, mainly the idea of slavery. Basically the South
wanted and needed it and the North did not want it at all. The South was going to do
anything they could to keep it. This was the issue that overshadowed all others. At this
time the labor force in the South had about 4 million slaves. These slaves were very
valuable to the slaveholding planter class. They were a huge investment to Southerners
and if taken away, could mean massive losses to everyone. Slaves were used in the South
as helpers in the fields in the cultivation of tobacco, rice, and indigo, as well as many
other jobs. The South especially needed more slaves at this time because they were now
growing more cotton then ever because of the invention of the cotton gin. Cotton
production with slaves jumped from 178,000 bales in 1810 to over 3,841,000 bales in 1860.
Within that time period of 50 years the number of slaves also rose from about 1,190,000
to over 4,000,000. The plantation owners in the South could not understand why the North
wanted slavery abolished that bad. Southerners compared it with the wage-slave system of
the North. They said that the slaves were better cared for then the free factory workers
in the North. Southerners said that slave owners provided shelter, food, care, and
regulation for a race unable to compete in the modern world without proper training. .
But after the American Revolution slavery really died it the North, just as it was
becoming more popular in the South. By the time of 1804 seven of the northern most states
had abolished slavery. During this time a surge of democratic reform swept the North and
West. There were demands for political equality. The South felt these views were not
important. All of these views eventually led to an attack on the slavery system in the
South, and showed opposition to its spread into whatever new territories that were
acquired. Northerners said that slavery revoked the human right of being a free person.
Now with all these views the North set out on its quest for the complete abolition of
slavery.
When new territories became available in the West the South wanted to expand and use
slavery in the newly acquired territories. But the North opposed to this and wanted to
stop the extension of slavery into new territories. The North wanted to limit the number
of slave states in the Union. But many Southerners felt that a government dominated by
free states could endanger existing slaveholdings. The South wanted to protect their
states rights. The first evidence of the North's actions came in 1819 when Missouri asked
to be admitted to the Union as a slave state. After months of discussion Congress passed
the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This compromise was legislative measures that regulated
the extension of slavery in the United States for three decades. Now the balance of 11
free states and 11 slave states was in trouble. Maine also applied for statehood in 1819,
in which it was admitted as a free state. To please the South, slavery would be
prohibited forever from Louisiana Purchase territories north of 36? 30'. Southern
extremists opposed any limit on the extension of slavery, but settled for now. Missouri
and Maine were to enter statehood simultaneously to preserve sectional equality in the
Senate. For almost a generation this Compromise seemed to settle the conflict between the
North and South. But in 1848 the Union acquired a huge piece of territory from Mexico.
This opened new opportunities for the spread of slavery for Southerners. But the
distribution of these lands in small lots speeded the development of this section, but it
was disliked in the South because it aided the free farmer more than the slaveholding
plantation owner. So now Congress passed the Compromise of 1850. It dealt mainly with the
question of whether slavery was to be allowed or prohibited in the regions acquired from
Mexico as a result of the Mexican War. This compromise allowed abolition of the slave
trade in the District of Columbia and admission of California as a free state. Another
part of the compromise was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850, which provided for the return
of runaway slaves to their masters. But many free states in the Union passed personal
liberty laws in an effort to help the slaves escape. Many Northerners set up underground
railroads where the runaway slaves could hide and get food and be directed to Canada for
freedom. This angered many Southerners. This compromise also said that the territory east
of California given to the United States by Mexico was divided into the territories of
New Mexico and Utah, and they were opened to settlement by both slaveholders and
antislavery settlers. This measure outdated the Missouri Compromise of 1820. All these
compromise measures resulted in a gradual intensification of the hostility between the
slave and free states. Again another law was passed in 1854. It was called the
Kansas-Nebraska Act. It authorized the creation of Kansas and Nebraska. It repealed the
Missouri Compromise of 1820 that had prohibited slavery in the territories north of 36?
30', and stated that the inhabitants of the territories should decide for themselves the
legality of slaveholding. The removal of the restriction on the expansion of slavery
ensured southern support for the bill, which was signed into law by President Franklin
Pierce on May 30, 1854. A conflict developed in Kansas between proslavery settlers from
Missouri and antislavery newcomers who began to move into the territory from the
northeastern states. This was what known as Bleeding Kansas. There were also many people
in the North known as abolitionists who made the South look very bad. The abolitionists
played a major role in shaping the views of many Northerners. These people were fully
against slavery and its expansion and most of the time took matters into their own hands
to get their point across.
The last main conflict that led to succession was during the presidential election of
1860. The newly formed Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln on principles that
opposed the further expansion of slavery. Now with Lincoln being elected the South really
felt that expansionism was being threatened, and because expansion was vital to the
survival of slavery they also felt their way of life was being threatened. Because
slavery was such an important part of Southern society, the South felt that they could
not survive without it. Now they felt there was nothing more they could do. They were
convinced that they should make a bid for independence by succeeding rather then face
political encirclement. This was officially the end and now the South wanted to succeed.
Lincoln said that succession was illegal and said that he intended to maintain federal
possessions in the South.
Southerners hoped the threat of succession would force acceptance of Southern demands,
but it did not. Finally the day came on Dec. 20, 1860 when South Carolina adopted an
ordinance of succession. The other states to follow and succeed were: Mississippi on Jan
9, 1861, Florida on January 10, Alabama on Jan 11, Georgia on 
January 19, Louisiana on January 26, and Texas on February 1. On February 4 delegates
from all these states met in Montgomery, Alabama where they drafted a constitution for
the Confederate States of America. This outraged the North and what was led to the Civil
War.
Many different efforts were made to save the Union and prevent a war. James Buchanan
believed the Constitution did not allow the North to take any action against the South.
An effort was made on February 4th by the Virginia Legislature who called a conference of
the states at Washington D.C. Representatives were sent from 7 slave and 14 free states.
An amendment was passed saying Congress could never interfere with slavery in the states.
But it was not ratified by the necessary number of states and was forgotten when the
Civil War began. 
The existence of slavery was the central element of the conflict between the North and
South. Other problems existed that led to succession but none were as big as the slavery
issue. The only way to avoid the war was to abolish slavery but this could not be done
because slavery is what kept the South running. But when the South seceded it was said by
Abraham Lincoln A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government
cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. Because slavery formed two opposing
societies, and slavery could never be abolished, the Civil War was inevitable. These were
all the reasons why the Civil War was fought over political beliefs and the North and
South had totally opposing views.