ipl-logo

Cause Of The Civil War Essay

685 Words3 Pages

Causes of the Civil War “No, if destruction be our lot we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of free men we will live forever or die by suicide,” - Abraham Lincoln. The Civil War is known as one of the greatest tragedies in American history. With over 620,000 deaths, it is by far the most devastating war (“Civil War Facts”). When studying the Civil War, one must question why it even happened in the first place. Scholars have debated this subject for years, but only three causes come out on top: slavery, states’ rights, and the Dred Scott case (“Causes of the Civil War”). By studying these three key causes, one may find a deeper understanding of arguably the most famous war in US history, the Civil War. One of the most obvious reasons for the Civil War was slavery. Although both the North and the South had slaves, they did not agree about the future of slavery (Sloan). While the North foresaw an end to slavery, the South did not (“Causes of the Civil War”). This debate …show more content…

Dred Scott was a slave who attempted to gain his freedom. Scott was owned by a man for the early part of his life, and then was sold to a new man once his original owner died (Tindall 672). He followed his new owner around the country, and lived in several free states (Tindall 672). Once his second owner died, Scott filed for his freedom (Tindall 672). After going through a rigorous process, the court finally decided that Scott had no grounds for his case because he was not actually a citizen (Tindall 672). The chief justice at the time said, “ [blacks] had for more than half a century been regarded as… so far inferior, that they had no rights which the white man was bound to respect” (Tindall 672). Even though the Court tried to avoid giving a straight answer by saying the case couldn’t even be in the court, they only made the problem worse and furthered the dissension between the North and the South (Tindall

Show More
Related

  • Summary Of The Dred Scott Case

    776 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the early-to-mid 1800s, the North and South had begun to seriously argue on the issue of slavery. While the South were in favor of keeping slavery, the North could not wait to be rid of it. The decision of the Dred Scott case would be known as an important event which would spark the friction between the North and South to rise drastically. Dred Scott, an African American slave, sued for his freedom because he had lived in a free state for most of his time in the United States. In the ruling at Supreme Court, Chief Justice Taney had ruled that because he was an African American slave, Dred Scott could not sue for the reason that Scott was not a citizen and that he was property.

    Read More

  • Mclellan's Failure

    940 Words  | 4 Pages

    The civil war was one of the biggest battles in american history. America’s worst clash of army’s,The civil war (1861-65) made the union against the confederate states. ”In the spring of 1861, decades of simmering tensions between the northern and southern United States over issues including states’ rights versus federal authority, westward expansion and slavery exploded into the American Civil War. ””In 1854, the U.S. Congress passed the KANSAS-NEBRASKA Act, which essentially opened all new territories to slavery by asserting the rule of popular sovereignty over congressional edict.”

    Read More

  • Summary Of The Dred Scott Case

    924 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dred Scott was a black slave that traveled to the Illinois and Wisconsin Territories with Dr. Emerson, his master. While Dred Scott was located in the free territory, he was considered a free man. Eventually, both Scott and Emerson moved to Saint Louis, Missouri, a slave state, which meant Scott would no longer be considered free. When they arrived in Missouri, Dr. Emerson died leaving Dred Scott in the hands of Emerson’s wife. Dred Scott sued Mrs. Emerson in 1846, to defend his claim that he was no longer a slave.

    Read More

  • The Dred Scott Decision And Bleeding Kansas

    756 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dred Scott was born was a slave in the state of Virginia and was owned by Peter Blow, who died in 1832. Scott only had two masters after Blow’s death; one lived in Wisconsin and later Illinois, both of which prohibited slavery, yet, Scott didn’t petition for freedom. Instead he met his wife Harriet. The two met their new master in Louisiana, who did not grant them freedom, so Scott looked for legal action to escape his slavery. Over a period of seven years, he went through trial and retrial until he was denied his final freedom in 1854.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln's A House Divided

    875 Words  | 4 Pages

    There are many factors that led up to the American Civil War. One of the main causes was the conflict that arose from the North and South’s opposing views of slavery. In Abraham Lincoln’s “A House Divided” speech he said, “In my opinion, [slavery] will not cease, until a crisis shall have been reached, and passed. ‘A house divided against itself cannot stand’” (A House Divided 511).

    Read More

  • The Civil War: The Cause By Ken Burns

    875 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the documentary “The Civil War” by Ken burns episode one “The Cause,” the main reason that sparked the American Civil War was slavery. Slavery was a huge part of the Southern economy. When the cotton gin was created, the production of cotton increased and this also caused the demand for slaves to increase. The South was dependent on slave labor to keep their economy running. Slaves worked hard in plantations for hours and some slaves would even work for more than fourteen hours.

    Read More

  • Confederate Turning Point

    556 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Civil War, a cause not only for the end of slavery, but to bring back the Confederacy as well. Many thought that simply because the North had a clear advantage over the South, such as population or weaponry, the war would end quickly, people picnicked on the first battles of war, watching the battles, but they didn’t fully realize how deadly new weapons had evolved. A single shot could easily kill anyone within range. People soon found how effective technology had become, and how well the South could fight back. Throughout the earlier years of the war the Confederates won nearly all their major battles, such as the very first battle at Fort Sumter, or the following one at Bull Run.

    Read More

  • Civil War Causes

    612 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Civil War is known as the bloodiest war in American History. Robert E. Lee may have said, “This war is not about slavery.”, but slavery was a major cause. The war was mainly caused by the diverging society between the North and South due to their different goals. Some of the goals they couldn’t agree on were economic policies, the righteousness of slavery, and political decisions. The difference in economic policies is one reason the North and South went to war.

    Read More

  • Origins Of The Civil War Essay

    525 Words  | 3 Pages

    Although the origins of the Civil War are widely debated, it 's undeniable that there were several main factors that were indisputable causes of the Civil War. The biggest origins were slavery, the Secession, sectionalism and sectional conflict, sectional political power, Southern and Northern nationalism, modernization in the Antebellum Period, etc. Moreover, there are several essays and documents from the "Major Problems in the Civil War and Reconstruction" book that support the origins of the Civil War that I listed above. The sectional conflict of the mid-nineteenth century was a defining period in American history.

    Read More

  • Cause Of The Civil War Essay

    603 Words  | 3 Pages

    The main cause of the war was slavery. The North didn’t agree with the idea of slavery unlike the South that did. The South said they were going to leave the Union because they wanted to have slavery. The reason the South wanted to have slavery was because that was the only way they lived. The South believe that if they didn’t have slavery it would destroy their economy and it would crush.

    Read More

  • Essay On What Caused The Civil War Dbq

    484 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nick Baxter What caused the Civil War? DBQ The Civil War was caused by three main reasons are economic differences, interpretation of Constitution, and moral beliefs. The North and the South were very different economically.

    Read More

  • Leading Cause Of The Civil War

    250 Words  | 1 Pages

    What was the leading cause of the Civil War? The role of slavery in bringing on the Civil War has been hotly debated for decades. Many people believed many things sparked the Civil War like States’ Rights, but some believe that it was slavery. Lincoln stated that slavery was “ somehow” the cause of the Civil War. Here are some facts that helps you believe the leading cause was slavery.

    Read More

  • What Caused The Civil War Essay

    574 Words  | 3 Pages

    The American Civil War was the war that ended slavery. The civil war was known as one of the bloodiest and deadliest conflicts the United States had ever seen. The loss of life was an estimated amount of 620,000 men. It lasted four years, from April 12, 1861, through May 9, 1865. However, while slavery was a major cause of the American Civil War, there were several other major factors.

    Read More

  • Cause Of Civil War Essay

    900 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Main Causes of the Civil War Instead of saying that the American Civil War was a political contest, it was the result of the economic conflict between the South and North. In other words, the civil war was a war between the North and the South in order to protect their own interests. As we know, In the North, the main economic system was capitalist economy , while the South was mainly the plantation economy. with the development of industry, the North needed more and more worker.

    Read More

  • Abraham Lincoln's Role In The Civil War

    1592 Words  | 7 Pages

    There were 5 main causes which contributed to the civil war [3]: a. Economic and social differences between the North and the South. b. States versus federal rights. c. The fight between Slave and Non-Slave State Proponents. d. Growth of the Abolition Movement.

    Read More

More about Cause Of The Civil War Essay

Open Document