The Ignition of the Civil War

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The bloodiest war in U.S. history- the Civil War, a war between the Confederate states and the Union states on issues over slavery. Even before the birth of the United States of America, slaves had been the main source of labor; this system was accepted, and slaves were viewed as property. In the 1800s, many people began to oppose slavery, and became known as the abolitionists. The opposition heated the slavery debate, along with compromises and many events that intensified the different views of slavery. The final straw was the election of Abraham Lincoln as president, as the existence of slavery was threatened. As a result, most of the slave-owning southern states withdrew from the Union, and formed the Confederate States of America. The Confederate States fought the Civil War for state rights, while the Union states fought to abolish slavery and preserve the Union. Political discord and social involvement contributed to the cause of the Civil War. Instead of easing tension, the Compromise of 1850 and the Kansas-Nebraska Act triggered political discord, and intensified the slavery issue, ultimately leading to Civil War. The Compromise of 1850 was proposed by Henry Clay when problems arose as California applied for statehood.Capturing the interest of both sides, the compromise enabled California to enter the Union as a free state, while the Mexican Cession was divided into two territories. In this area, popular sovereignty would decide whether slavery would be allowed. However, when the compromise was introduced, both northerners and southerners were displeased with what was offered. 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 Mexican-American War acted as the oil, while the abolition movement, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act provided the spark to ignite the fire that was the Civil War.

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