Why The Civil War Began
The Civil war began in April of 1861. There were many reasons the Civil War began. For example, slavery was one of the reasons. Another reason was that the South wanted to secede from the United States because they believed more in state’s rights rather than federal rights. These are two of the main reasons the Civil War began.
In the mid 1800s in the South, you couldn’t drive a mile without seeing a cotton field. Cotton was in high demand to make clothing and many Southern farmers made a lot of money on selling their cotton to other countries. In order to continue making money, they wanted to continue having free labor. Many Southern states wanted to own slaves because of the growing production of cotton. However, the North didn’t have cotton
fields, so they had no use for slaves and thought it should be outlawed. This started many heated debates in Congress.
Southern states thought that everything would be fine if each state made their own laws. For example, any Southern state that took a vote to keep slavery legal would then be able to. In the North, states could also vote to outlaw slavery. The South thought that if every state just minded their own business, there wouldn’t be a problem at all. However, many Northerners argued that this was dividing the nation rather than dividing it. The fighting continued and got worse and worse.
The United States was working to abolish slavery when the war began. The first shot was fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The North was using a military fort there and the South wanted the fort since it was in their territory. So, they shot cannons at the fort to take it over. As soon as this news got to the president, Abraham Lincoln, he ordered Northern troops to prepare for a civil war.
The notion that slave labor for cotton fields caused the Civil War has been reinforced by textbooks and fictional narratives for more than a century. Historians, however, argue for a more nuanced, and complex understanding, such as how state rights played a role. The Civil War was fought for many reasons, not solely or even primarily because of the growing importance of cotton on southern farms. Moving away from economic differences and cotton as simplistic causes leads to a more complex and far more interesting story of the Civil War.
In the mid 1800s in the South, you couldn’t drive a mile without seeing a cotton field. Cotton was in high demand to make clothing and many Southern farmers made a lot of money on selling their cotton to other countries. In order to continue making money, they wanted to continue having free labor. Many Southern states wanted to own slaves because of the growing production of cotton. However, the North didn’t have cotton
fields, so they had no use for slaves and thought it should be outlawed. This started many heated debates in Congress.
Southern states thought that everything would be fine if each state made their own laws. For example, any Southern state that took a vote to keep slavery legal would then be able to. In the North, states could also vote to outlaw slavery. The South thought that if every state just minded their own business, there wouldn’t be a problem at all. However, many Northerners argued that this was dividing the nation rather than dividing it. The fighting continued and got worse and worse.
The United States was working to abolish slavery when the war began. The first shot was fired at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. The North was using a military fort there and the South wanted the fort since it was in their territory. So, they shot cannons at the fort to take it over. As soon as this news got to the president, Abraham Lincoln, he ordered Northern troops to prepare for a civil war.
The notion that slave labor for cotton fields caused the Civil War has been reinforced by textbooks and fictional narratives for more than a century. Historians, however, argue for a more nuanced, and complex understanding, such as how state rights played a role. The Civil War was fought for many reasons, not solely or even primarily because of the growing importance of cotton on southern farms. Moving away from economic differences and cotton as simplistic causes leads to a more complex and far more interesting story of the Civil War.