The American Civil War and Its Inevitability

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Recommended: Political, economic, and social causes of the civil war

The Civil War was the bloodiest and most violent war in all of America's history. Not only did it pit brother against brother and father against son, but it also caused more deaths than all of America's wars before or since combined. The cause for the Civil War was not a single event; instead it was a combination of several. In general, the South felt overpowered by the North socially, economically, and culturally. The two sides’ ways of life were completely different in every aspect of the word. At the heart of all the issues lay one major cause for dissension which is known as slavery. Frankly, the combinations of events that led to the civil war drove people over the edge, had varying degrees of influence, and tended to have slavery as a reason hidden behind them.

The Compromise of 1850 was one of the first incidents that would help to set the South against the North. As a result of the United State's victory in the Mexican War, it had acquired a vast territory. At the time, California was applying for statehood. This proposed a grave problem to the government as to how to keep the balance between Slave and Free states. The Fugitive Slave Laws, which had been vexing the government for some time, also came into play. Some people felt that accepting California as a free state would not upset the South. While others felt that the South might be inclined to withdraw from the Union, which would make one of the biggest fears among the government at that time a reality. The Compromise suggested that the populations of states entering the Union should be allowed to vote on the option of being a Free or Slave state. This proposal became known as "Popular Sovereignty." The supposed solution to the problems presented was devised by Hen...

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...oln won the election, as they had previously promised would happen. In a sense, the American Civil War was unavoidable. Due to regional and political disputes the country would have continued to boil until it spilled over even if the extremists on both sides were kept under control. No matter what was done politically a conflict was necessary to eradicate slavery from this continent. Anger in the South was became a growing trend, whereas abolitionism in the North became increasingly popular. The Southerners were angered by the fact that, in their view, the North was trying to dissolve their way of life. While Slavery was the largest contributor to the feelings of violence and hatred between the North and South, there were also other reasons dealing with economics, state’s rights, and culture. Nevertheless, slavery seems to be at the heart of all of these issues.

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