There were actually several issues that can explain why the Civil War happened. These differences would result in the bloodiest battles on American soil.
Business Rivalries
As the country began expanding its territories, the states began forming alliances. This of course led to disputes. The northern states were the focal point of manufacturing and other related industries. To maintain their edge, they demanded that tariff rates be increased. They were afraid that imported products would result in loss of profit and unemployment.
This policy was opposed by the southern states. They were not as heavily industrialized as the north. Instead they relied on imports from Britain. One of the reasons why the Civil War happened was due to the tariff rates. The south was bitterly opposed to it because an increase would be more costly.
Slavery
Slavery was another point of contention. There were an increasing number of states that wanted the practice abolished. Black people couldn’t own property and their movement was limited. They weren’t allowed to go to parks, hotels and other places. The north wanted this practice abolished.
The southern states objected. They argued that labor was needed for work. Their livelihood was heavily dependent on agriculture. Without labor, their businesses would suffer. It was one of the main factors why the Civil War happened.
The Mexico Issue
In 1846 the US went to war against Mexico. The Mexicans were defeated and their lands became part of America. However this led to more disputes. The south wanted the lands and the Mexicans to be enslaved too. The northern states opposed this.
The Secession of the South
In 1854 the Congress passed into law the Kansas-Nebraska Act. It allowed for these areas to decide if slavery should be allowed or not. This was followed in 1860 by the election of Abraham Lincoln as United States President.
The southern states couldn’t accept Lincoln as President as his policies were for the abolition of slavery. A month after Lincoln’s election, South Carolina seceded from the Union. They were followed by other southern states. Thus one of the reasons why the Civil War happened was the secession of the states.
The southern states called themselves the Confederate States of America. The Union declared the move illegal. The war began in 1861.
A Long and Costly War
The north had advantage in manpower. There were over 22 million of them, while the southern states only had 9 million. 85% of manufacturing and over 70% of the railroad belonged to the northern states. This gave them great advantages.
The southerners on the other hand, had the edge in military personnel. Furthermore they felt that they were fighting a just war. They thought that when they seceded, Lincoln could no longer dictate to them what to do. The southern states believed that they were fighting for freedom.
All of these factors were key as to why the Civil War happened. In the end, Lincoln and the Union prevailed. Slavery was abolished and life in America would never be the same.
That is a bunch of baloney!!! the war was started because the south wanted to have the freedom of states rights to overturn any law that they thought was illegal, Not Slavery!!! Slavery was an antagonizer, but not a reason for the war… get your research done at an unbiased place.
Several omissions:
1. You fail to define ‘civil war’. The war you describe wouldn’t be considered a ‘civil war’ in most places on Earth. Only Northerners think it was anything other than an invasion, an early conquest of the American Empire.
2. You fail to mention that slavery existed in the North before, during, AND after this so-called ‘civil war’. The implication of this article is that the ‘civil war’ ended slavery, when it did no such thing. It only ended slavery in the South. The North, ever-so-concerned for the plight of Blacks, didn’t end slavery until the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in December 1865, about six months AFTER the War was essentially over.
3. You fail to mention that the activities of Blacks were severely restricted in the North. In many places, Blacks were not able to vote, were not able to marry a White, couldn’t serve on juries, and couldn’t testify against a White, to name only a few. Their travel between states was often harshly regulated, including in ‘The Land of Lincoln’ Illinois.
4. You incorrectly state that Lincoln’s policies were for the abolition of slavery. You fail to mention that Abraham Lincoln stated on numerous occasions that this was NOT his policy. His policy? Send them all back to Africa! Don’t take my word for it … it’s easy to find if you’re looking for it.
5. Blacks couldn’t own property? Seriously? There were Blacks in the South (primarily in Louisiana) would OWNED slaves!
6. This article would mislead one to believe that all slaves were Black and all slaveholders were White. I’ve already addressed half this statement above. My ancestors arrived in Virginia in the 1600s, much earlier than most Irish arrived on these shores. You’d probably call them ‘indentured servants’, but I’d argue anyone forced onto a ship against their will by the bloody British, transported thousands of miles away from their home, and forced to work were nothing but slaves. Yes, Virginia, there were White slaves in America.
You should also research WHY the Northern states wanted to abolish slavery. Because the Northerns had nothing but goodwill towards Blacks and the Southerns had nothing but treachery in their hearts? Actually, there were multiple reasons, but, to paraphrase Lincoln himself, one poignant reason was ‘if we allow continued expansion of slavery, there’ll be no place left for poor Whites to work’.
Why can there be no honest discussion on the War? To quote a more recent of your presidents, a Republican like Lincoln, Ronald Reagan said ‘It isn’t that these eminent scholars are ignorant; it’s just that they know a number of things that aren’t true.’.
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