Instigators of the Civil War

534 Words2 Pages

When the founding fathers established the successful United States of America, they never would have imagined the country separated. The unity of America became something that was enamored by other countries, until the issues of 1850-60s arose. Looking back in history, several occasions present themselves as instigators of the Civil War. Disagreements regarding slavery surrounded the primary reasons of succession and the Civil War. Citizens displayed views completely opposite of each other. On one end, many wanted slavery completely abolished while others wanted it to be limited to certain portions of the United States. In the Dred Scott decision, the Supreme Court ruled that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. Along with those rulings, the Court also said that blacks could not sue at a federal level because they were not citizens of the United States. These decisions pulled on the already loose hold of the states’ unity. Northerners went ballistic over these rulings and passed laws to ensure slave...

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