What Was The Main Cause Of The American Civil War

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What do you think was the main cause of the American Civil War? Can you really choose just one event? As we look back throughout history, we can see several clues as to what may have led up to the American Civil War. This is by far one of the most defining eras in the history of the United States of America. This war has been debated throughout the century by highly regarded scholars. Although many disagree on bits and pieces of how and why it all played out the way it did, most would agree that there are four critical events prior to 1861, that were the main causes of the worst war on American soil. I firmly believe that the creation of the cotton gin and the agricultural growth of cotton crops, the failure of The Compromise of 1850, Bleeding …show more content…
Even though cotton was not an easy crop to grow it was the supply and demand of cotton that made the use of slaves a necessity in the South. The cotton crops were difficult to grow and grueling to harvest, and it takes a few years of bump crops just to get the land right to grow cotton. Southern landowners could harvest hundreds of acres of cotton with the help of slaves. The spread of popularity of cotton boosted the economic growth after the War of 1812. However, because of its demand, more slaves were needed to grow and harvest the cotton fields. Slavery became a controversial national issue that I believe was the main cause of the Civil War. Even though Jefferson Davis disagrees to my point in his writing that Slavery did not cause the Civil War. One cannot deny that without the cotton boom in the 1800’s the use of slaves would not have been so pertinent in the south. Every critical event leading up to the Civil War, at its heart, has slavery as the main component. As stated in the textbook “the intensive labor required to produce cotton, rice and sugar made slavery an inseparable part of life in the southern way of life.” Many Northerners saw slavery as inhumane and evil treatment of humans. Therefore, I feel without the extremely high demand for cotton throughout the nation and internationally, for textile …show more content…
I have laid out what I consider to be the four main components. The rise of supply and demand of cotton throughout the world for use in textile. This caused a greater need for slaves throughout the deep south for intense labor to maintain and harvest the fields. Next, the failure of the Compromise of 1850, which tried to appease both the North and the South in slave issues. Needless to say, this only heightened the force of those states that wanted to secede from the Union. Although this did grant more statehood to several territories, the compromise itself was hopeless. Along with the atrocity of the corrupt election in Kansas, known as “Bleeding Kansas”, the trust between the north and south was destroyed. Once the decision was made to leave the Union, the nation was truly divided. The final straw was the election of President Abraham Lincoln. The south feared the loss of their livelihood and knew the time had come to choose a side. I do agree that there were several events that led up to the onset of war, and depending on one’s interpretations, even the main players of the war may have seen different motives to defend their cause. However, without these four critical events taking place exactly as they happened, at the exact time in history, the American Civil War may never have occurred. The outcome of this tragic war would determine the

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