Download Reasons that Led to the American Civil War

 loyalty to the interest of your own region or section of
the country, rather than to the nation as a whole.
 By the late 1820’s,
different life styles in
the sections of the US
became more
pronounced.
 Regional differences of
opinion emerged, and
the nation debated
over the issues of:
 Slavery
 Tariffs (taxes)
 States’ Rights
 The North
 In the 1840’s and
1850’s they began to
oppose slavery.
 Abolitionists
believed that slavery
was morally wrong
and wanted to
abolish (end)
slavery.
 The South
 Slavery was an important part of the
Southern economy.
 Southerners wanted to protect slavery in the
South and felt that slavery must follow
westward expansion.
 Middle class farmers
and lower class
farmers supported
slavery even though
few had more than
twenty slaves.
 They hoped to have
slaves themselves.
 They were afraid of
slave rebellion and
competition from free
blacks.
Upper Class
Many slaves
Middle Class
Had Few Slaves
Lower Middle Class
Had 1 or 2 Slaves
Lower Class – Had No Slaves
Slaves
 The North
 Manufacturing was a
growing industry in the
North
 In 1828, Congress passed
a very high protective
tariff to protect
Northern industries
from European
competition.
 The South
 Southerners hated
the tariff, calling it
the “Tariff of
Abominations”
 High rates increased
the cost of foreign
manufactured goods
in the South
The North
The South
 Northerners believed
 Southerners argued
that supreme power
rested in federal
government.
 They believed the
Union was
unbreakable.
that this allowed them
to ignore laws on
slavery and tariffs if it
conflicted with their
beliefs.
 They thought this also
granted the right to
secede from the
Union.
 The Civil War begins at April 12, 1861, at Fort Sumter in
Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
 Confederate forces fire on a Union fort in the harbor
and war begins.