Civil War: Rivalry Between The Northern And Southern States

Civil War The American Civil War is one of the most significant events that occurred in the United States of America. The Civil War, also appropriately known as the War between the States, was fought from 1861-1865. This war involved the rivalry between the states of the Northern and Southern territories. The War was declared when the Southern states declared their secession and formed the Confederacy, a new government, of the south. There has been many disputes over which societal events led up to this war and many scholars have tried to narrow down which might be the lead cause of the Civil War. The argument over slavery, the election of Abraham Lincoln, The Abolitionist Movement, and the Missouri Compromise are all leading factors that
contributed to the commencement of the Civil War. Slavery is more commonly known as the the main reason why the Civil War was declared. Initially, slavery was welcomed in the Northern States as well as the Southern States. Certain people did not realize that the slavery was immoral and some of these white Americans believed that they have sovereignty over the African Americans. During the 1840’s to the 1850’s a great potato famine broke out across the globe in places like Ireland and Germany. This caused poverty and sicknesses which forced the natives of those countries to migrate to the United States. These immigrants coming from Ireland, Germany and many other places, were ready and willing to work for low wages and even longer hours. The Northern states in turn welcomed these immigrants and realized that they no longer needed slavery and people should be rewarded for their hard work. The Southern states tended to have a different approach and looked at slavery not only as a necessity but as a right. The slaves in the south naturally tended to larger plantations and were used for domestic chores. They could be sold or even traded to pay off larger debts. Slavery was all over the southern states yet only very few of the citizens actually owned slaves. These people were more habitually known as the wealthy and upper class. Having more slaves conveyed their wealth and social power and even endowed respect to the owners. Taking away these owner’s slaves would be just similar as taking away their social position. The Southern states naturally fought against the government for the abolishment of slavery and in turn resulted in their secession. (Weider History Group). Slavery sparked rivalry between the Northern and Southern states helping with the climax of the Civil War.
Comparably, the election of Abraham Lincoln fueled many citizens of the Southern States. The American Party, also known as the Know- Nothings, opposed slavery. The Republican Party viewed slavery as immoral and unethical which made the Southern states feel threatened with the new nomination of Abraham Lincoln for presidency. President Lincoln opposed the spread of slavery yet stated that he would not intervene with where it already existed. Slaves saw hope with the election of Abraham Lincoln and saw opportunities of being freed and starting new lives. He was ultimately against the proliferation of slavery and was a proud supporter of the Thirteenth Amendment which ended slavery throughout the United States; moreover, he additionally suggested the extension of the right for African Americans to vote amongst many other deserved rights (National Park). The United States began to see a change in society after the Emancipation Proclamation was established by President Lincoln. The Emancipation Proclamation was, “an executive order issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, as a war measure during the American Civil War, to all segments of the Executive branch of the United States that proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states that were still in rebellion, applying to 3.1 million of the 4 million slaves in the U.S. at the time” (U.S National
Archives). During the Abolishment of Slavery, other revolutionary events, that stand admirable today, took place as well. For those still kept in captivity of slavery, The Underground Railroad, led by infamous Revolutionary leader Harriet Tubman, helped runaway slaves escape out of the southern territories. The Underground Railroad consisted of secretive routes that out of the Southern States into the Northern States and even led into Canada. These runaways were helped by those who opposed slavery, and were beaten by those who captured or caught them. This is just one example of the many other revolutionary phenomenons that occurred to help the runaway or captured slaves. (Weider History Group) Additionally, there were many outside incidents that heightened the slavery debate.
The Missouri Compromise was another important event that was passed in 1820s between anti-slavery and pro-slavery activists. Similar to the Northwest Ordinance of 1787, which established a Northwest territory and abolished slavery within those boundaries, the Missouri Compromise regulated slavery in the western territories. The Missouri Compromise was primarily an attempt to conserve the power in Congress between anti- slave pro-slave states. It was passed stating that Maine was a free state and Missouri was a slave state; furthermore, the law also forbid slavery in Louisiana territory. The Missouri Compromise, however, was short lived as it was pronounced unconstitutional after the Dred Scott Case. The Supreme Court believed that the Congress did not have the right to forbid slavery in those specific territories. The Dred Scott case was about an African American slave who wanted to have citizenship in the United States and whose case ended up in the Supreme Court. In 1857, he ended up being denied citizenship to the United States, “stating that no person with African American blood could become a U.S citizen” (Burgan, Michael). This signified a fundamental change in the mentalities of certain individuals. This amplified the belief that Americans should have jurisdiction over African Americans, especially now that they were not granted citizenship. (Burgan,
Michael) The Civil War cannot easily be defined from one simple incident. Slavery is a primary cause for the Civil War, however, it is not the only reason. Each of these movements and revolutionary incidents all occurred regarding slavery. War is based on the disputes and disagreements between people throughout the country or world. Racism and slavery is something that has long been argued over and is still an issue today. I firmly believe that slavery is the primary reason for the Civil War and that all these occurrences have helped shape America today. With the trial and errors of the Northwest Ordinances, Missouri Compromise, Confederation articles, etc, America has elaborated into such a growing government and has been able to conquer similar obstacles such as this. Breaking the ignorant mentality of certain individuals that believe they should have authority over those with different ethnicities and races is something that our society is going to have to overcome throughout time. The Civil War marks one of the most historical movements to try to change the way people think, starting with the abolishment of slavery.

Work Cited Burgan, Michael. The Missouri Compromise. Minneapolis: Compass Point Books, 2006 Causes of the Civil War. Weider History Group, 2013. Web. 4 Dec. 2013. . National Park Services. Experience your America, 11 Nov. 2012. Web. 7 Dec. 2013. .