ipl-logo

Civil War Dbq Essay

1142 Words5 Pages

Isabel Prinzi Mr. Falgiano AP U.S. History, Per 8, Pre Civil War DBQ 17 January 2023 To truly achieve compromise, the parties involved must be willing to sacrifice a part of their beliefs and values. There are times when finding a middle ground cannot be achieved, leading to prolonged frustration and stalemate. The Civil War brought to light an issue that had been stalking the land since the founding fathers signed the documents that celebrated the fact that all men were created equal and were endowed by their Creator. Long before the Civil War took place, the North and South were at odds. Each side was unwilling to fully bend to the other. The North’s main focus was to stop slavery from spreading, and some of the more radical Northerners …show more content…

The North never wanted the South to break away from the union. A prominent senator from Kentucky, Henry Clay rose to fame when he was younger as a war hawk in the war of 1812. Now as an older man, he understood the costs of war and wanted to avoid it. He was certain that the South would never fully go through with the threat of secession and that they were just bluffing (Document 1). While the North thought that the South would never secede, it eventually did, and that destroyed the compromises that were created. Daniel Webster tried to get the two sides to compromise and stay together, telling the North to let slavery stay in the south and telling the South that if they secede there will be war (Document 4). Secession was never the right answer if the Union was to be maintained. It destroyed the point of compromise and created the Civil War. When the South seceded, compromise was no longer able to help the union stay …show more content…

With this great divide, American citizens put their regional preferences over national interests. The North and the South both had different motives and each side was moving more and more to opposite ends of the spectrum. When the sides of an issue are no longer feeling united by a bigger force, the smaller issues become less compromisable. For example, the Caning of Sumner was caused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The picture in document 5 shows a southern representative beating a northern representative because of his ideas and the speech he gave beforehand. The sentiment expressed in this editorial reflects the turmoil of the situation in that a person who has a difference of opinion or disagrees with someone else there is a negative consequence that comes with it. A person risks physical harm from a difference of opinion. If a person cannot give their opinion without the risk of violence, then compromise is not even on the table. An article in the New York Tribune claims that the North is unfit for society compared to the South (Document 6). While both sides are different in economics, politics, and culture, neither side is above the other because of those differences. Pushing the other side down to build one’s side up, does not help bring compromises and peace throughout the union. Abraham Lincoln stated that the debate on slavery was

Show More
Related

  • Missouri Compromise Of 1820 Dbq Essay

    605 Words  | 3 Pages

    “But this momentous question, like a fireball in The night, awakened and filled me with terror. I considered it at once as the knell of the Union” (Jefferson). This is from a letter written by Thomas Jefferson to Thomas Holmes in 1820 talking about the issue of slavery and the Missouri Compromise, and Thomas Jefferson was afraid that the Congress may keep on compromising to satiate the south’s want for slavery. The people in the north and the south kept I arguing till the Civil War, whether slavery should be continued or if they should get rid of this abominable institution, but Henry Clay did not want there to be a civil war so he helped write a compromise to keep the peace between the feuding halves of America dreaming that peace would be achieved. Even though many people in the south of America through the Missouri Compromise of 1820 would be beneficial, it ultimately failed, and it only postponed

    Read More

  • Why Did The South Break The Primary Cause Of The Civil War Essay

    828 Words  | 4 Pages

    The southern secession from the Union increased pressure between the South (Confederacy) and the North (Union). The South’s attempts on withdrawal proved the fact that the South and the North were destined to fall apart after growing tensions between the two sides. For years, historians have been debating the point if the South had the right to secede from the Union. While some historians argue that the South could leave due to legality, others claim that it is a breaking the Constitutional Oath that the states would stay together. The secession of the Confederacy was a primary cause of the civil war.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Abraham Lincoln's Aims At The North

    473 Words  | 2 Pages

    For example, Lincoln stated “one of the declared objects for ordaining and establishing the Constitution was ‘to form a more perfect Union.’ But if destruction of the Union by one or by a part only of the States be lawfully possible, the Union is ‘less’ perfect than before the Constitution, having lost the vital element of perpetuity.” Lincoln explained if the Southern States would be given the right to secede from the Union, then it would make the Union imperfect which would go against the Constitution. The main idea of Lincoln’s address is to empower the states to remain in the Union, or to “form a more perfect Union.” On the other hand, the South believed they had the right to secede from the Union as explained through Jefferson Davis’s Inaugural Address “The Aims at the South” in February 1861 in Montgomery, Alabama.

    Read More

  • What Caused The Conflict Between The North And South Dbq

    1130 Words  | 5 Pages

    He tries to appeal to the South’s perspective by agreeing with their argument that the North’s reluctance towards following the Fugitive Slave Act, however, he contrasts that appeal by disagreeing with their motive of secession. The fact that the speech already discusses secession 10 years before the first state secedes from the Union demonstrates that the South already doesn’t feel comfortable with the North and they

    Read More

  • Causes Of The Mexican-American Civil War

    564 Words  | 3 Pages

    The dispute between the North and South grew louder and more aggressive. The debate over the expanse of slavery surely didn’t help either. The Mexican-American War helped turn a large portion of Northerners against slavery. Many didn’t want slavery in the newly acquired territories. This enraged the wealthy slaveholders who stated that they would secede from the Union if needed to save their way of life.

    Read More

  • Meltdown Of 1860

    388 Words  | 2 Pages

    This differences eventually leads to conflicts surrounding the Kansas-Nebraska act which repealed the Missouri compromise. The northerners were outraged by the Kansas-Nebraska act and that eventually

    Read More

  • Henry Clay The Great Compromise

    1285 Words  | 6 Pages

    The Great Compromise of 1850 was created in hopes to prevent a civil war between the northern and southern states after new territory was acquired from the Mexican War. Although the Great Compromise failed to create a united nation, it prolonged the outbreak of a civil war for nearly a century. Following the Mexican war, was a period of building tension between the northern states and southern states. Many tried and failed to face the debate of compromise in uniting the north and the south. Henry Clay, one of Kentucky’s very own senators, plays a hand in an attempt to help solve the outreaching debate over slavery and the territory in which slavery is allowed.

    Read More

  • The Rise And Fall Of The Secession Of 1860

    882 Words  | 4 Pages

    He writes: "The 'plan of secession,’ "if any, and the purpose of secession, unquestionably, originated, not in Washington City, or with the Senators or Representatives of the South, but among the people of the several States, many months before it was attempted.” After Lincolns victory was announced on November 6, 1860, things happened fast. The first state to secede was South Carolina on December 20 1860, with 6 additional states also seceding during the first month of the new year. In their own minds, their secession was totally legitimate and they felt they ought to be recognized as a fully independent nation. This is illustrated well in the last few lines of the Declaration of the Immediate Causes of Secession of South Carolina, which state that the state was a “separate and independent State; with full power to levy war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent States may of right

    Read More

  • Differences Between The North And South In The 1800s

    1017 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the 1800s there was many differences and challenges between the North and South. Two different sections that relied on different needs and wants. It was hard to satisfy both sections of the Union. Ultimately it will lead to fighting and debating on what is important for the Union to be united and happy. Both sides need each other but each side had their own pride and outlook on the country as a whole.

    Read More

  • Era Of Good Feelings Dbq Analysis

    776 Words  | 4 Pages

    When Congress issued tariffs on foreign goods, Southerners believed that Congress favored the North since this tariff would benefit them. John Randolph spoke of this issue, arguing that Congress was being unfair since the South was not benefiting from the actions of Congress at all while the North benefited (Doc A). As for political conflict, there was a clear case of factionalism and political rivalry in 1824 (Doc I). With these conflicts amongst the varying factions and political parties, the political tension and sectionalism within America continued to grow. Accusations and anger from the South further separated them from the North, which did not contribute “good feelings” to the country at

    Read More

  • Essay On The Compromise Of 1850

    585 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Henry Clay created the Compromise of 1850, his intent was to reduce sectional tension between the North and South, or more specifically, the free and slave states. In awarding each side a part of their list of grievances, the Compromise was supposed to appease the divided the country and stop a conflict. Unfortunately, the Compromise was not successful in its intent. It further divided the country due to the loopholes found in the Compromise´s words. The North got the upperhand of the Compromise of 1850 due to the region's power in the Senate, their unwillingness to obey the laws, and the idea of popular sovereignty.

    Read More

  • Nullification And Secession Of States During The Civil War

    1002 Words  | 5 Pages

    President Lincoln was against the secession of states for a variety of reasons. In his first Inaugural Address he said that, “We cannot remove our respective sections from each other nor build an impassable wall between them”. The states cannot physically be separate and should not be separated by law either. Lincoln believed that secession was unlawful, saying that, “no State, upon its own mere motion, can lawfully get out of the Union”. They would be breaking the law by cutting their status in the union.

    Read More

  • Civil War Argumentative Essay

    281 Words  | 2 Pages

    “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Once said by Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln who was president at the time of 1860, made a big impact of all people in America, especially the lives of African Americans. President Lincoln did not approve of a constant disagreement between his people. The civil war was mainly for state rights, and the constant disagreement on slavery.

    Read More

  • Could The Civil War Been Avoided Essay

    731 Words  | 3 Pages

    The north and the south did not develop along similar economic or ideological views, that created a deep-rooted uncertainty in the US. At some point in time, the two opposing sides would have inevitably gone to war their viewpoints and beliefs were too different from one another even after once all other options and compromises had been

    Read More

  • John C Calhoun Civil Compromise Analysis

    1251 Words  | 6 Pages

    The north also had a greater population giving them advantages in representation. Calhoun feared that the South will be forced to choose between abolition, or secession. A simple solution proposed by Calhoun is to discontinue talks of abolition, and allow slavery to continue unchanged. He stated that those who want to preserve the Union are biased and against the Southern ideals and institutions. Those who want to preserve the Union at the same time want to violate the Constitution.

    Read More

More about Civil War Dbq Essay

Open Document