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The causes of the American Civil war are many
and occurred over many years. However we can
break the main causes into 5 things that worked
together to finally cause the southern States to
secede from the United States Union. These were
the Economic and Social differences, the battle
between State and Federal control, the Fight
between Slave and non-Slave State proponents,
growth of the Abolition movement and the
election of Abraham Lincoln.
Economic and social differences were caused firstly by the
invention of the Cotton Gin. It increased the production of
cotton as it made less work of dividing the cotton from the
seeds. This then increased the plantation owners profits,
caused more cotton plantations and therefore increased
the demand for slaves. This lead to a one crop agricultural
economy. The North on the other hand was using industry
to make profit and using the southern cotton in there
mills. The South however, was not selling all or buying all
its manufactured goods from the north but purchased
imported goods from Europe. The north was not happy
and tensions began divide the two. These two factors lead
to two different lifestyles and differences in economics,
cultures and values. This difference of “economic
attitudes” caused by the cotton gin and the South’s
purchasing, caused conflict between the new North and
the “antiquated” South.
The battle between Federal and State control had
been causing fiction since the revolution. Many
believed that State should have the most power,
others thought this created a “weak Federal
government”. States in the South begun to become
upset when the constitution was changed to give
strength to the federal government, which they saw
as “unconstitutional”. They also thought that the
federal government was bias to the north. For
example tariffs were placed on southern goods and
goods imported by the south, to prevent them
trading with Europe as it made their exported cotton
and imports expensive. Whereas in the north similar
goods were not taxed. The shift of power from the
State to the Federal government caused a
concentration of power in the north making the
South unhappy.
As the Union began to grow the decision to make
new states free or slave states created, at times
violent confrontations between the two groups.
Though attempts were made to solve this through
the Missouri comprise of 1820 and 1850 by
drawing a line across the “states from the former
Louisiana Purchase the latitude 36 degrees 30
minutes north except in Missouri”, problems
occurred as the USA moved westward into Kansas,
and New Mexico. As proponents of slavery moved
into Kansas from Missouri politicians began to fight.
These conflicts added to the pressures being built
up from the other causes that lead to the outbreak
of war.
In the early to mid 1800s the abolitionist
movement in the north was growing. This caused
a “polarization” of those in the north toward
slavery. Helping in this was the book Uncle Toms
Cabin, which made more people aware of the
lives and risks fugitive slaves took seeking
freedom. People were also not happy with the
Fugitive Slave act which meant people helping
escaped slaves could be prosecuted even in free
states. This change in social attitudes in the north
towards abolitionist created ever more tension
between the north and south, while also
beginning to have a political impact on the
country.
The final cause and perhaps the trigger event for the
Civil War was the election of Abraham Lincoln. The
fact that the north was an industrial economy meant
there was more opportunity for people in the north
as opposed to the south where wealthy landlords
held most of the wealth. More people moved to the
north giving them more influence in the Federal
government. When the northern candidate Abraham
Lincoln was elected in 1860 North Carolina issued its
"Declaration of the Causes of Secession.” They felt he
was antislavery because of his view that all new
states should be free states, and that he was pro
north. Seven others followed. The federal
government saw this as treason and a rebellion
against the Union. On the 12th of April 1861 the
Confederate army attacked Fort Sumter in South
Carolina.
Though it is true that slavery and the attitudes
towards it were a reason for the Civil War in the USA a
number of other factors caused the division between
the north and the south. Key to this was the influence
of the Federal government over State. As the North
began to move away from the South in its economy
and social values their dominance of the democratic
process allowed them to pass laws that the South saw
as unfair or bias. This increased the tension built from
the abolitionist movement and the differences in
opinion as to what new states should be free or slave
states. When Abraham Lincoln was elected, believing
all new states should be deemed free the South felt
they had no other option but to secede from the
Union. This then lead directly to the beginning of the
American Civil war.