Cause of the Civil War

Cause of the Civil War


During the 19th century, tensions among the U.S. Nation continued to rise and cause disagreements for a number of factors. These various factors led in the result of the U.S. Civil War. The Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865 and accounted for more than 600,000 deaths. These causes can be attributed to the many disparities between the North and the South's economic and social industries, the fight between the slave states and the non slave states, the progress of the abolitionists, the Election of Abraham Lincoln, and the secession of the states.

To begin with, the differences between the North's industrial economy and the South's agricultural economy created the division in each's economic attitude. The North focused on technological innovation and building cities. The roads and railroads were their biggest investment and set the path for territorial expansion and exporting goods. The Northern factories purchased raw cotton from the Southern plantations, and used it to make into new goods. The South however was only focused on expanding their numbers of plantation, which meant they needed large amounts of cheap labor. Cheap labor meant the south needed more slaves to harvest their crops. The South relied on the cotton crop for their economic system. The South was steadfast on keeping their old ways and a conservative old fashioned social order. Whereas the North was looking as far their eyes could see from boundary to boundary.

The debate about whether slavery was to exist or not polarized the nation. A chain of events occurred throughout the 1800's all in relation to slaves. For instance, when America first acquired new lands through the Louisiana Purchase and the Mexican War, many wanted to know if any new states added to the Union would be a free state or a slave state. The northers were concerned with the slave states also gaining too much power. In 1820, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited slavery north of the Louisiana Purchase...

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