Cause And Effect Essay: The Cause Of The Civil War

Eyejan Saadoon
ALCE 1605
King and Chaplin
30 November 2010
The Cause of the Civil War
The United States Civil War was the result of conflictive ideologies between the Northern states and the Southern states. The North was abolitionist and heavily developed while the South was poorly industrialized and strongly dependent on agriculture. More than being a social issue slavery was the basis of economy in the Southern part of the United States. The problem was not about whether slavery was morally correct, but whether the South could economically survive without this type of labor; for Southerners slavery was an economical pillar and crucial for their subsistence, to the extent that it would rather fight or secede from the Union before giving
up their profitable labor system. In contrast, the North was more densely populated and had more resources in terms of money, men, and supplies than the South did. Slavery for the North was not as necessary as it was for the rural South. Further more, the South was a strong believer of small national government and strongly advocated state rights over national laws, while the North was a strong supporter of federalism and believer in the Union with no option of secession or nullification, which was a common thread of Southern states against the Union. As all these differences grew bigger between the two, more issues and sectionalism emerged and finally led to the American civil war. To summarize, the American Civil War was caused by the differences between the North and the South leading to economic conflicts, as time passes, the Southern Sates seceding, and these trepidation led to idealistic differences between the Union and the Confederates on the problem of federal power versus states rights.
The economy in the North was not of that in the South. The North being multifarious had industrial units, steam ships, railroads, skilled workers, and transportation. The North primarily was focused on urban life, while the South being contradictory was focused on agricultural life. The North had supplies, a big army, and better equipment to win the Civil War. Manufactured products in the North were about ten times more efficient than that of the South. “In the beginning slavery was no great problem. It had existed all across Colonial America; it died out in the North simply because it did not pay” (Catton 2). What Catton is saying is that the Northerners did not need slave labor because it gave up slavery while the South wanted to hold on tightly. The South wanted slave labor and low taxes on imported goods. Cotton was a great advantage for the Southerners for the reason that Europe needed their textile. The South had the greatest general, Robert. E. Lee. "Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more; you should never wish to do less” (Lee). Robert never gave up on his team. The South won a few battles in the beginning, but surrender because many of his men died, and the Union being powerful and stronger. The war was mostly fought on the Southern land so the Confederate soldiers did not have to do much traveling. There were costly battles, and the most expensive battle was the Chancellor battle in Virginia. This really bought the economy down for the southerners especially because Stonewall Thomas Jackson was killed. Economic qualities of freeman against slave labor caused parties to disintegrate, and begin new parties to occur. These differences resulted arguments and fights between the North and South in eighteen twenty and finally secession in the South in eighteen sixty. States seceded because they wanted slave labor and believed that Abraham Lincoln was going to abolish it. Another explanation some states seceded in the South was the election of Abraham Lincoln. Although Lincoln’s name was not on the ballot in the South, it was on the ballot in the North and triumphed. In Lincolns note to Alexander Stephens tells him the contrasts between the Union and the Confederacy “You think slavery is right, and ought to be extended; while we think it is wrong and out to be restricted” (Lincoln). The Southerners was livid that most of the North voted for the Republican Party. If the North and only the North had the power to vote for a president without the help of the South, then that meant they were very strong and could take anything for example, the Civil War. Before Abraham Lincoln’s Presidency, seven Southern states had seceded from the Union; there were many debates in eighteen-twenties over tariffs. On December 20, 1860 South Carolina, the first state to become independent from the Union, rigorously considered withdrawing. South Carolina threatened to secede in excess of the protected tariffs in the North that caused the increase of costs for agricultural goods, and the pause of slave labor in the South. A year later, six other states seceded. Compromise of 1820, an agreement called the Missouri Compromise drew a contour line and 1850 the compromise failed because they did not support both North and South sides. For example, the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was set for “balance of powers”, which let Maine to be a Free State and Missouri a slave state. An example of failure to negotiate was the Compromise of 1850. This was a counterfeit out of the extreme anxiety to keep away from secession and did not stop the conflict between the South and the North. Slavery was led into the Civil War when Abraham Lincoln became president. He was a Republican, and none of the Southerners voted for him. The deal was that slaves were owned as property in the South, and moving North one could not own slaves because the states in the North were Free States. The secession was whether or not a state was at its own free well or part of the Union. Abraham Lincoln did a good job at covering the fact that the United States should be its own country. Abraham Lincoln was not for or against slavery; he did not think it was a big issue on whether there should be slave states or Free State. Apparently the states had to agree on something. Many Southerners traveled up North for a better economy and social differences. Though not seceding was also a choice, and a states right. Kentucky, Maryland, Delaware, and Missouri remained loyal to the Union, even though they were slave states. The North would have lost the American Civil War if these states had seceded. Holding the state capital, if Maryland had separated from the Union it would be having been a problem. Since Ohio River flows up into Kentucky providing water supply for the North, if Kentucky were to secede the North would have lost this water supply. According to the Constitution “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people” (U.S. Constitution, 10). Meaning a certain state may follow its own law and abide by it; this is called the States Rights. Federal Rights is a national law that the government makes. States wanted to have their own rights for whatever laws they wanted to abide by can be altered when ever they wanted. “Slave States argued that states ought to be able to decide for themselves whether or not to participate in slavery” (The Civil War 2010). South thinking that the confederacy is too small to be presides over losses the Civil War, and with out being said The North Wins. In 1860 before the Civil War began secession was already taking place.
As the year pass more states secede indulging economic conflicts to rise. Many battles were fought in this war. Battle of Antietam, one of the bloodiest battles of all time caused thousand of army soldiers to die for the reason that sickness swept across the nation and the deadliest weapons that were used during these battles. Both Northern and Southern women rallied to care for the sick and wounded. Set forth Lincoln proclaims a Union victory and then issues his Emancipation Proclamation and tells Southerners to surrender or their slaves are going to be freemen. In conclusion to the efforts of the Northerners and Southerners, the Union was efficiently prepared to win the Civil War due to the sufficient supplies and men. Abraham Lincoln altered his generals in the Union for the duration of the Civil War from McDowell to McLennan to General Ambrose, who were not the greatest generals during the war. In the issue of what caused the United States Civil War, Slavery is not the focal cause of the United States Civil War but the end of it. Lincoln gets elected as president which was a right to the states. South Carolina secedes, their states right, and then slowing economic differences between the North and the South emerged. This caused divergence and battles, and states rights versus the federal rights flanked by the Union and the Confederate States. The North winning the Civil War was an
accomplishment.

Work Cited
Abraham Lincoln. “The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln.” Roy Basler, New Brunswick, N.J. Rutgers University Press, 1953. vol. IV, p. 160. Print.
Catton, Bruce. “The American Heritage: New History of the Civil War.” A House Divided 1 (2001): 1. Print.
Lee, Robert E. “Robert E. Lee Quotes.” Great Quotes. Great Quotes, 2010. Web. 11. Nov. 2010.
“The Civil War and States Rights.” The Darwin Report. Word Press, 8 April 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2010.
“United States Constitution” The U.S Constiution Online. Web. 11 Nov. 2010