Question

1. What were the most important causes and events that led to the Civil War? What issues had long divided the sections of the North and South, and why did these issues become so difficult to compromise on after 1846? How did the issue of western expansion aggravate the conflict between the North and the South between 1836-1861? What specific events intensified the sectional conflict between 1850 and 1860? How did each side, North and South, perceive the actions of the other during this period, and why? Why did the Confederate States finally decide to secede from the Union? Would you argue that the Civil War was mostly a consequence of slavery? Why or why not??

Answer 1

One of the most important reasons for the Civil War was definitely slavery. While the North wanted to abolish slavery, the South resisted it because most of its economy depend on the agricultural products and it was the slaves who were working in all the fields making the Southern farmers rich. Secondly, there was a conflict between North and South in terms of dividing the newly formed states since the North didn’t want anymore new slave states. Thirdly, although two thirds of the Southern whites didn’t own slaves, they were made to believe in racial superiority and freeing the slaves would mean that they would become equals and white people didn’t like this idea. At one point, it became very apparent that the Southern states wouldn’t bulge and they would stick to slavery forever as they formed their own confederate states with their own army to fight any threat from the North. The North on the other hand had superior infrastructure, modern weapons, trained soldiers and the much-needed economy to withstand a long civil war. The rail roads helped the North transport soldiers and supplies quickly and the organized soldiers of the North were disciplined and skilled to take over South. Thus, slavery was the most important issues that prompted civil war but the results made the United States as one of the global superpowers.

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