The causes of the Civil war
There are many causes that led to the American Civil War. While slavery is generally cited as the main cause for the war, other political and cultural differences between the North and the South certainly contributed. In the mid-1800s, the economies of many northern states had moved away from farming to industry. A lot of people in the North worked and lived in large cities like New York, Boston and Philadelphia. The southern states, however, had maintained a large farming economy was based on slave labor. While the North no longer needed slaves, the South relied heavily upon slaves for their way of life. The idea of states´ rights was not new to the Civil War. Since the Constitution was first written there had been arguments about how much power the states should have versus how much power the federal government should have.
The difference between the North and South were readily apparent well before the American Revolution. Economic, social and political structures differed significantly between the two regions, and these disparities only widened in the 1800s. The major difference between the North and the South and the most responsible for the Civil War was the institution of slavery. In the North, slavery was almost universally prohibited by the 1800s, while the institution was a cornstone of Southern society. The number of slaves in the US at the beginning of the century was 1.2 million. By 1840 there were 1,200 cotton-goods factories in the United States, two thirds of them in New England, which was importing cotton from South and using water power from its rivers.
The confederate states were not happy with the federal government because they did not want high taxes on their products that they were exporting. The union states did not get their money from farming like the confederate states but from industry. They wanted high taxes on their products so they could protect the industry. There had been arguments about how much power the states should have versus how much power the federal government should have. The southern states felt like the federal government was taking away their rights and powers.
In his inaugural address of March 4 1861, President Lincoln reaffirmed his willingness to protect the institution of slavery in the South. He proposed, moreover, to enforce the fugitive slave law with the same dedication that he would suppress the foreign slave trade. But Lincoln remained adamant in opposing the extension of slavery, and on that single issue, symbolic as it was, the Union would founder. By the time Lincoln presented his inaugural speech, most of the property belonging to the national government had been seized by the Confederate states.
The difference between the North and South were readily apparent well before the American Revolution. Economic, social and political structures differed significantly between the two regions, and these disparities only widened in the 1800s. The major difference between the North and the South and the most responsible for the Civil War was the institution of slavery. In the North, slavery was almost universally prohibited by the 1800s, while the institution was a cornstone of Southern society. The number of slaves in the US at the beginning of the century was 1.2 million. By 1840 there were 1,200 cotton-goods factories in the United States, two thirds of them in New England, which was importing cotton from South and using water power from its rivers.
The confederate states were not happy with the federal government because they did not want high taxes on their products that they were exporting. The union states did not get their money from farming like the confederate states but from industry. They wanted high taxes on their products so they could protect the industry. There had been arguments about how much power the states should have versus how much power the federal government should have. The southern states felt like the federal government was taking away their rights and powers.
In his inaugural address of March 4 1861, President Lincoln reaffirmed his willingness to protect the institution of slavery in the South. He proposed, moreover, to enforce the fugitive slave law with the same dedication that he would suppress the foreign slave trade. But Lincoln remained adamant in opposing the extension of slavery, and on that single issue, symbolic as it was, the Union would founder. By the time Lincoln presented his inaugural speech, most of the property belonging to the national government had been seized by the Confederate states.