Numerous social issues befell, developing controversy which would later lead to the Civil War. An event that caused great strife was the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which allowed popular sovereignty to decide the legality of slavery in those areas. This act was devised so that it would reduce tensions and perhaps solve the issue of slavery. Yet, it had the complete opposite effect, as it led to increased tensions and violence. Since it eliminated the restriction on slavery north of the 36° 30’ line, antislavery Northerners were outraged, believing that the whole implication was a plot to “turn free territory into a ‘dreary region… inhabited by masters and slaves.’” (Deverell and White 447) Pro-slaver... ... middle of paper ... ...ews of social and political issues, thus causing the most brutal war America has ever encountered.
Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was a catalyst for the Civil War due to its depiction of slavery as harsh and brutal. The main character, a slave named Uncle Tom, and one of the slave owners, Simon Legree were used to attack the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and the institution of slavery that it protected. Throughout the novel, characters, scenes and plots were Stowe’s persuasions to the reader that slavery is evil, un-Christian, and should not be tolerated. She illustrates the fact that slavery and Christian values oppose each other and are not in any way compatible. Uncle Tom’s Cabin outraged the southerners and made the northerners more aware of the brutality of slavery.
The tension between the sides were strong which lead to the civil war, but were all caused by their disputes of slavery moving on towards the new expanding territories. Slavery was the reason the two sides were fighting if slavery should even exist and led towards the secession and the civil war. The civil war was caused by the conflict among the north and the south and the states rights and political power all over slavery. Slavery was the
Due to their different views on society and ways of generating money, many people such as abolitionists and pro-slavery apologists had entirely different views. Americans proved to have too many differences that violence and other virulent events were inevitable. Slavery was just too much of a convoluted problem for a juvenile nation, such as America to figure out. As stated in lecture, the impact of slavery shaped both the societies and economies of the North and South, which ultimately led to numerous conflicts. These conflicts include; the Tariff of 1828, the Kansas Nebraska Act and the Missouri Compromise, which eventually formulated the start of the American Civil War.
John C. Calhoun showed his displeasure by writing, “I have, senators, believed from the first that the agitation of the subject of slavery would, i... ... middle of paper ... ...ery and pro-slavery supporters, resulting in Civil War. As social events, including the Mexican-American War and abolitionist movement, intensified the slavery debate, the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act failed to ease political differences, leading to the Civil War. Social unrest, aided by the abolition movement, increased the debate over slavery as America obtain new lands from the Mexican-American War. This resulted in the passing of the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which will result in failure. The failure of the compromises proved the nation could not function as one, resulting to the justification of the Southern Secession; war was inevitable.
The issue of slavery is brought up several times throughout the book. Arthur Fremantle, the British observer, believed that the South was fighting to protect slavery and their way of life. Colonel Chamberlain also mentioned slavery as a reason for the war and stated that he found it to be appalling. Despite racism and prejudice in the North, many northerners still believed that the slaves should be freed. They saw the institution of slavery as contradictory to the Bible and civilized society.
The Fugitive Slave Act and the abolition movement expressed people’s opinions on the debate involving slavery, between the northern and southern states. Increasing controversies between sides due to political and social problems eventually ignited the Civil War.
In the 1850s the most controversial topics was slavery. Slavery opened up many debates, discussions and arguments. This decade is known as the turbulent decade because of all the events that led America downhill. It divided the nation into two, the North and South or the Union and Confederacy. Unconstitutional, immoral, inhuman and plain out wrong was how the Union described slavery.
Thomas Jefferson, in response to the Missouri Compromise, expressed, “ I considered it at once as the knell of the Union. It is hushed indeed for the moment, but this is a reprieve only, not a final sentence… and every new irritation will mark it deeper and deeper” (Meacham 475). Jefferson explained how the Missouri Compromise led to the sectionalism between the North and South, which caused the Civil War. Western expansion and the Louisiana Purchase both led to the formation of the Missouri Compromise as more states started applying for statehood, which disrupted the balance between the slave and free states. Additionally, the division between the North and South increased rapidly because of the Missouri Compromise.
The north?s reaction to the book was they increased their protests against slavery and the fugitive slave law. The south?s reaction was they criticized the book as an attack on the south. The south didn?t like the book because they thought that it was an attack on them and slavery. These are some of the events that lead to the Civil war and the secession of the southern states.