Causes of the American Civil War

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For generations students have been taught an over-simplified version of the civil war and even now I am just coming to a full understanding of the truth. The civil war was a terrible rift in our nation, fought between the northern states (known as the union) and the southern states (the Confederate States of America). The people’s opinions were so divided over the issues of the civil war that, in some families, brother was pit against brother. Eventually, the south succumbed to the north and surrendered on April 9th, 1865 but not before the war had caused 618,000 deaths, more than any other war in U.S. history.(1) In truth, many believe this horrible war was fought purely over the issue of slavery. Nothing could be further from the truth. I am not denying that slavery was a major cause and issue of the civil war, but social and economic differences as well as states’ rights were just as important issues and I will be discussing all three. Why were the southern states so dependent upon slaves that they were willing to fight a war over their right to keep them? The answer lies in the social and economic differences between the north and the south. The southern United State’s climate was perfect for agriculture. Plants like tobacco, cotton, indigo and sugar had become extremely profitable to produce.(2-615) To increase profits, the farms, known as plantations, had to grow. Managing a plantation of an average of 335 acres took a lot of labor, and the most economical source was the slave trade. Without slaves, plantation owners would have to hire people to manage their farms, an option that many were either unable to take or unwilling to consider. I know that the south needed slavery to support their agriculture based econo... ... middle of paper ... ...f humans, and to uphold the power of the federal government. The causes of the civil war were really the result of a divided nation, but the civil war did make it possible for the nation to become whole again. Works Cited 1. Davis, Burke. “The Price in Blood!” 11-01-04 http://www.civilwarhome.com/casualties.htm 2. Borrit, Gabber s. “civil war.” World Book 2004 ed. World Book, inc. Chicago: 614-617 3. Kelly, Martin “Top five causes of the civil war.” 12-01-2009. http://www.americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarmenu/a/cause_civil_war.htm?p=1 4. “Abolitionism.” Civil War. 12-02-2009. http://www.civilwar.com/abolition-and-slavery/abolitionism.html 5. “Nullification Crisis.” Wikipedia. 12-02-2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/nullification_crisis 6. “Emancipation Proclamation.” Wikipedia. 12-3-2009. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emancipation_Proclamation

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