Slavery : The Causes Of The American Civil War

Cotton was the king of the South. It was bringing in large amounts of money as the textile industry in the North grew. Slavery was vital to the economic well-being of the South, and when the North began to question the “peculiar institution” of the South the wall of civility between the two sectionalized areas began to crumble. Due to the growing issue of slavery in the 1850s, the United States of America was in a state of total disarray and turmoil. The tension that had always existed between the North and South over the matter of slavery was no longer ignorable. As the United States expanded to the West, the status of slavery in the new states erupted in a violence that could no longer be controlled by sectionalism. The peace treaties that had worked in the past became Band-Aids over stab wounds. Southern states began to leave the United States of America to form the Confederate States of America and war was declared as the South fired onto the forts of the North. The Civil War was caused directly by the issue of slavery; the fugitive slave act in the Compromise of 1850, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and Bleeding Kansas prove that slavery was the key factor in the eruption of the nation.

Throughout the 1800s in America, slavery was a controversy between the north and the south. A Slave was one who was the property of another human being under law and was forced to obey them. The North felt that slavery was unfair and inhumane, whereas in the South, they felt as though slavery was crucial to their success. African American slaves were not allowed many rights: they were not allowed to testify in court against a white person, could not receive an education, or even sign contracts. Due to the brutality they faced each day, many slaves escaped with hopes to find freedom. The Underground Railroad, a system utilized by many runaway slaves to help them escape from the South to Canada, played a large role in the downfall of slavery and eventual abolition in the United States following the Civil War.

The American Civil War is also referred to as the war between the Northern and Southern States or the Rebellion War that began in 1861. Slavery was regarded as the main cause leading to the start of the war, as a high level of discrimination against the African Americans existed upon their arrival in the United States. The African Americans were either sold and traded by the elders in their villages or plucked from their native countries for a sometimes deadly transatlantic journey to serve wealthy southern families. They were not viewed as peers but as laborers and farmers. Americans who were rich and owned large plantations took the African Americans as their slaves. They suffered as if they were not worthy of compensation including working without pay and the standard consequence was lynching. During the period, they fought for their freedom, which was not given to them until the Civil War was fought. Consequently, they aligned themselves with the white men who were also soldiers in fighting for their freedom.

While it is certainly simple to attribute the start of the Civil War solely on the issue of slavery, the issues run much deeper. Even though slavery is one of the underlying causes of the American Civil War, issues regarding political and economic differences are also to blame for the start of the war. However, many of these problems that caused the country to split had their roots in the problem of slavery.

The Civil War, occurring between the years 1861 and 1865, was a devastating effect of sectionalism caused by the division of the country on the topic of slavery. Slavery impacted every aspect of the country, whether in the North or the South, though primarily in the South; major impacts were in the politics and economy of the early country ways which inevitably caused the Civil War.

Slavery existed heavily in the South by the 1700’s. What started out with indentured servants, quickly but slowly, became slavery in a more brutal and disheartening way. European colonists turned to slavery because for every one indentured servant there were 17 slaves. (Chapter 2, page 46) This made it easier for European colonists to be able to replace slaves rather than waiting for indentured servants. Also, during Bacon’s Rebellion, Europeans quickly learned that servants were dangerous, because they had a right to fight back. Servants expected to be free within seven years in exchange for working the Europeans land. This also created the image that slaves would be easier to control simply because they had nothing to look forward to, once a slave always a slave. Once the Virginia slave law came out, it initially separated blacks and whites by skin color thus beginning the road to the new definition of “race.” In the south, slavery was in higher demand due to the increase of land to grow crops, indigo and tobacco. The more land you had, the more slaves you needed to pick and grow these crops which increased your money value.

Slavery has dependably been the most stunning wonders of our reality. Slavery, independent from anyone else appears to be exceptionally unnatural and incites blended sentiments from the heart of every individual. A few people are relatives of those who used to be slaves years prior. Some confronted "slavery" even in the contemporary times. What 's more, a few people do not comprehend the likelihood of one individual considering another person its slave. Slavery, by definition, is the primary authentic type of misuse, under which a slave alongside various actualizes of generation turns into the private property of the slave proprietor. At the end of the day slavery changes an individual person into a "thing" or even some sort of customer item. These spectacles have done a ton of mischief to millions of individuals, taking without end lives and pulverizing the destiny of the general population who could have been upbeat. It is basic learning that slavery was disposed of with the end of the Civil War. The South was discharged from the load that made the slavery to stop and that began crushing the partialities concerning the color of skin. These days, it is as of now history. Throughout the paper, the topics that will be discussed is a life of a slave on how they were mistreated, the Emancipation Proclamation, and lastly Lincoln most famous speech; The Gettysburg Address”.

Many factors led to the occurrence of the American Civil War. The key issues were slavery, different political ideologies, right of the people, and economic reasons. However, the key reasons that lead to the Civil War was slavery. Slavery is touted as the main cause of the conflict between the states in the northern part and those in the south. To date, slavery is still considered the worst human tragedy to have occurred in the United States. Abraham Lincoln himself pointed out that slavery was the root cause of the Civil War because of increase in tension within the country.

The Civil War was between the north and south states of the United States when the southern states decided it was better for them to secede from the union. Many people believe that slavery was the cause of this war. Slavery may be the main reason of this war, but there are other reasons and events that helped spark the war. The economic situation for the union was one factor contributing to this war because the south was making most of the money for the United States, another factor towards the Civil War is the fight for states and representation during the westward movement, and lastly the social and cultural differences between the north and south created tension for their different beliefs and ideas. Starting with the economical perspective

Slavery in North America first began when the first African slaves arrived in the American colony of Jamestown in 1619. They were first used to aid in the production of the American “cash crop” tobacco. From that point, white land owners depended greatly on the work of slaves. This did not seem an issue at the time but as more people came over to the Americas and more people developed their own ideas of freedom, a silent war broke within the country. The first great schism, the first act of cold war, was the 3/5 Compromise in which it was decided that an African servant was only counted as 3/5 of a person and therefore did not have a strong presence within the government . This was implemented in 1787, long before talk of Civil War would begin. Fast forward three decades, another rift began to spread across America. The Missouri Compromise. At this point in time, slavery was a hot topic. More people spoke openly about their opinions on the topic and that was met with opposition. With the expansion of American territory, there was the decision of if slavery would be allowed or not in the new territories. Missouri was brought into the nation as a slave state while Maine entered as a free state. The compromise on this though, was that “no slave state shall enter into the Union above the 36 30’ line” . It was James Monroe to sign this bill into effect. In another three decades, the Compromise of 1850 would wipe out all evidence of the Missouri Compromise. 1850 had five major

The question of slavery and the rights of states to decide on the matter for themselves completely controlled politics in the years prior to the Civil War. Laws were passed, such as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which made it so any slaves that escaped were to be sent back to their owners. Not only would these runaway slaves be punished severely, but anybody who aided them in escape would also be subject to harsh punishment. These desperate men, women, and children had no protection in the legal system and were left with no options in life other than escape. Many of these escapees had to watch friends and family be beaten, sold, or even killed and were expected to work just as hard, like nothing had happened. After losing everything, it

The goal of the civil war was never originally to free slaves but slaves became a large part of the war. African American slaves overcame many challenges to finally receive their freedom. Many African Americans endured the chance to fight for the union and that immensely increased the man power of the union.

Abraham Lincoln once said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” In the 1800s, the American nation was slowly becoming a house divided against itself. The United States were no longer united, mainly over the issue of slavery. In fact, many historians believe that, “From the nation’s founding, the issue of slavery threatened to tear the United States apart.” (“The Civil War” 1). The issue of slavery was always kept at bay through the utilization of various compromises; however a permanent solution was never sought after by the government. The peoples’ perspective of slavery differed by region. In the South, the economy was extremely reliant on farming and agriculture. These areas required slave labor, so Southerners favored slavery. However, in the North, many people were pro-abolition and called for the end of slavery (“Slavery: Three Points of View” 2). These varying ideals about slavery ultimately lead to the start of the Civil War. When Lincoln, the Republican, pro-abolition candidate, won the Election of 1860, Southern states began to secede from the United States. Within 6 months of Lincoln’s election, the Confederate States of America had been created (“The Civil War” 1). The Confederacy despised the principles of the North, or the Union, and was ready to go to war in order to settle their differences. This war would forever change life in America and even break down society’s barriers between the races. In short, key battles and the abolition of slavery are

Slavery has been described as a "social institution defined by law and custom as the most absolute involuntary form of human servitude." . The three main characteristics of slavery are that the people are regarded as property, they are forced to serve (often through violence), and they are subject to the owner's will.

The American Civil War was the bloodiest military conflict in American history leaving over 500 thousand dead and over 300 thousand wounded (Roark 543-543). One might ask, what caused such internal tension within the most powerful nation in the world? During the nineteenth century, America was an infant nation, but toppling the entire world with its social, political, and economic innovations. In addition, immigrants were migrating from their native land to live the American dream (Roark 405-407). Meanwhile, hundreds of thousand African slaves were being traded in the domestic slave trade throughout the American south. Separated from their family, living in inhumane conditions, and working countless hours for days straight, the issue of