The Secession Crisis

Similar to the ideologies of the Republicans, Seward believed that slavery was unjust and humans were granted the r... ... middle of paper ... ...ry as inhumane and against universal suffrage. Both abolitionists agreed that compromise was not probable and slave labor was morally wrong. Thus, its expansion must be halted. Similarly the Southern Democrats, although their ideology was the opposite, were not willing to compromise on the issue of the expansion of slavery. Southern Democrat, James Henry Hammond, believed that slavery was necessary for the economic growth of the nation and without it, the North would also perish.

Politically, the Northerners contributed immensely to the opening of the Civil War. John Brown's Raid at Harpers Ferry made the south believe the Northerners had a whole scheme to ban slavery. The South wondered how or why they would remain in the Union when a "murderous gang of abolitionists" were running around. Southerners also believed that this violent abolitionist's view was a common one shared by the entire North. This act of the North made the South resent the North's pushy ways and begin to think of leaving the Union.

The Civil War, the bloodiest conflict in America, erupted in 1861 as a result of differences between the northern and southern states in the United States. Among these diversities in politics, economics, geography, and society, social and political differences were the most significant. The Election of 1860 and the Dred-Scott Decision politically led to the outcome of war. In addition, social disagreements including the Fugitive Slave Act and the abolition movement furthered divided the North and South. The violent Civil War would never have started without the rise of political and social conflicts.

April 12, 1861, both the North and South opened fire at each other, instigating what would become the bloodiest war in American history. By then, it was far too late for compromises to mend the tensions between the two opposing sides. From the start of the nation, geography separated the citizens of America, preventing them from having similar lifestyles. This later caused both sides to have differing views, which later erupted into outrage and violence from both sides. In an attempt to solve the issue of slavery, both the Fugitive Slave Act and the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed.

They saw that the North would do anything to get rid of slavery. Also, Lincoln’s stubbornness to bring the Confederate States back into the Union without slavery caused the Confederacy to start taking military outposts, arsenals, and federal mint. Eventually, South Carolina attacked Fort Sumter which directly caused the Civil War.

Abraham Lincoln believed and made known that he thought that “slavery was an evil… that [every man] had the right to freedom and fruits of their labor” (PowerPoint). Many Southerners (included the Whig party) feared that President Lincoln if elected would outlaw slavery all together. Because of this dispute, Southern states (including South Carolina) began the process of secession wanting to make a political statement. This statement, however, brought about a war in which the Northern and Western states and territories fought to preserve the Union, and the South fought to establish Southern independence as a new confederation of states under its own constitution.

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.

Before the Civil War, the country was separating between North and South. The causes of this splitting are disagreements over tariffs and the matter of slavery, which was legal in the South but had gradually been banned by states north of the Mason-Dixon Line. As the US acquired new territories in the west, unpleasant disputes erupted over whether or not slavery would be legitimate in those newly acquired territories. Southerners became paranoid and began to believe the addition of new non-slaveholding states but no new slaveholding states would give control of the government to abolitionists, and the institution of slavery would be outlawed completely. The slave holding south increasingly felt its interests were threatened, particularly since slavery had been prohibited in much of the new territory that had been added west of the Mississippi River.

The south which supported savery was furious especially to an idea of congressman tallmadge who disliked slavery who proposed missouri be able to enter as a slave ... ... middle of paper ... ...economic progress and national policies. During the battle of the south between states rights which meant the power and decisions a state would have a decision was made of secession. The differences between the north and the south grew because of the power and opinions that each side received and contributed. Even though people believe the civil war was caused by the state rights in some ways it was by the differences 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.

The Southerners were angered by the fact that, in their view, the North was trying to dissolve their way of life. Congressman Robert Toombs of Georgia says, “if by your legislation you [northerners] seek to drive us from the territories...I am for disunion”. This Congressman from the South is so intent on making slaves legal in the territories that he is willing to break with the North over it. He also says that California and New Mexico were “purchased by the common blood of the people”(A). This was the view of John C. Calhoun that people from every state fought to gain these territories so everyone should have equal access to them.