The American Civil War

The Civil War was bound to happen one way or another. The inevitability of the Civil War can be pin-pointed back to many issues that occurred during colonial times. Political, economic, and social problems

helped with the causes of the Civil War. The Civil war occurred during the years 1861 and 1865. This was a fight to preserve the Union which during this time was the United States of America. It included the secession of the South from the Union.

The North and South varied on many issues such as: political, social, and economic differences. Politically, the south was much less dependent on the federal government than the north which were highly dependent on, to build everything. The South feared that a strong central government would interfere with slavery.There were reasons other than slavery for the South’s secession. Economically, the South relied heavily on agriculture. The South grew cotton, which was its main cash crop. Many southerners knew that heavy reliance on agriculture would hurt the south, but their warnings were not heeded.

The invention of the cotton gin was another key element to the inevitability of the Civil War. The cotton gin enabled the south to have a great interest in their traditional lifestyle in order to feel the need to depend it from the North. The North as stated before relied on its government to do everything. The North depended on factories and businesses to supply everything. The North was established as an industrial society; labor was needed, but from immigrants, not slaves.

Immigrants traveled from mostly countries in Europe to the North to find a better life. As the immigrants started working in the factories for minimum wage, the North stated to form again. On a social note, the growth of the abolition movement added to the causes of the Civil War. Each day the northerners became more against slaver. Many people say that slavery was the main cause of the Civil War, because of Abraham Lincoln. Some believe that the main cause was the secession of the southern states. Arguments that slavery was undesirable for the nation had long existed, and the northern states all abolished slavery after 1776.

Slavery had been a part of life in America since the early colonial period and became more acceptable in the South than the North. Southern planters relied on slaves to run larger farms or plantations and make them profitable. Many slaves were also used to provide labor for the various household chores that needed to be done. This did not sit well with many northerners who felt that slavery was uncivilized and should be abolished.

It can be easily said that the secession of the southern states was the underlying cause. Although, before the 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln, seven states had seceded from the Union: South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

Even though things were coming to a head, when Lincoln was elected in 1860, South Carolina issued its “Declaration of the Causes of Secession.” They believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of the North. This seemed unnecessary since the seven states already left the Union. Since colonial times throughout the 1700s, many “ideas” erupted that could lead up to the Civil War. The American Revolution could easily be cast into the causes of the war. The American Revolution was the biggest war fought on American soil before the Civil War. This war could easily add to the causes because if the United States hadn’t of fought, then there wouldn’t be a need to fight the Civil War.

The Civil War was indeed inevitable. No matter how hard any political leader or regular person could’ve tried; there would’ve been no use in it. From said things that had happened in the past, this war was bound to happen in one way or another. Whether it be slavery, political differences, economical or social problems it would have paved a way for the war to happen.

The South was more scared that the North was trying to modernize everything that they had worked for, to make it more like the North. This was really not the case. The North wanted to abolish slavery in the South so no more real issues would occur. The South, not so happy about this, they decided to secede from the Union all together. No matter which way the North or South turned, the Civil War was definitely inevitable. Whether slavery or political, economic and social differences, the real underlying cause of the Civil War is still a mystery.