The Civil War was a trying time in American History; societies crumbled, lives were lost, and a nation was torn apart in order to be made whole. However, was this conflict inevitable? Were the North and the South destined to battle out their differences? Were the decisions made by President Abraham Lincoln to make war on the CSA justified? While there is much deliberation on this topic, the final answer is yes to each and every question. The North and the South, though they shared many similarities, were irreparably divided over the slavery issue, such that conflict could not be avoided. Lincoln’s deliberations on the situations of the day were the only acceptable response to the issues at hand. Disagreement caused by the slavery issue boiled over into a vehement sectional division, which would have led to the disintegration of the Union if not dealt with through combat.
When considering the inevitability of the Civil War, the first matter to be dealt with is the extent of the division between the North and the South. It is important to note both the North and South had pronounced similarities as well as differences. According to Edward Pessen, “Northerners and Southerners alike made their living primarily in agriculture,” with the South growing differing crops from the North because of their varying climates.[1] Both South and North invested heavily in American products, though the North invested more in industrial endeavors than the South. All in all, due to the fact that they belonged to the same country, both North and South had the similar essential principles. However, there was one area that completely differed between the North and the South: the South’s “peculiar institution,” slavery. Even on a purely statistical compar...
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...y 65.2 (1999): 251-52. JSTOR. Web.
[6] Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: from Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. Reno, NV: Sentinel, 2004. Print. 289.
[7] Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: from Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. Reno, NV: Sentinel, 2004. Print. 288.
[8] Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: from Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. Reno, NV: Sentinel, 2004. Print. 303.
[9] Schweikart, Larry, and Michael Allen. A Patriot's History of the United States: from Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror. Reno, NV: Sentinel, 2004. Print. 301.
[10] Lincoln, Abraham. "Lincoln's First Inaugural Address." First Inauguration of Abraham Lincoln. Washington, D.C. Address.
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