Dbq Civil War Essay

By the mid-nineteenth century, the Constitution had been put into the fiery crucible that was the issue of slavery, littering the antebellum era with political controversy. The national structure framed by the Founding Fathers in 1787, initially intended to bring unity, was now the primary grounds from which the question of slavery was bringing sectional conflict and national disharmony as a result of mass-moral compromise. The Constitution of the United States was instituted to encourage the unification of the stark sectional divide within the nation. However, rather than achieve its purpose, the Constitution was contorted and employed by both sections to further their envisioned future of the country.

When talking about the constitution in today’s world I don’t think anyone would disagree about the constitution being an anti-slavery document. The 13th amendment abolishes slavery and any form of service that isn’t voluntary. But at the time of the writing of the constitution I think there would be a strong argument for why the constitution was a pro-slavery document. The north and the south had different views on slavery, but they also agreed on some things. When talking about the slaves they had a big role in the constitution.

As a result of the withstanding social differences over the issue of slavery and the economic imbalance between the North and the South, tensions skyrocketed and in due time, lead to the Civil War. The economic differences contributed to the war because it robbed the South of their most reliable source of labor: slaves, and threatened the collapse of their economy. The social divergences contributed to the war by reaffirming the beliefs of the country on the subject of slavery by introducing new bills that only segregated them further in their social standings. The Civil War was the most costly endeavor in American history, with hordes of lives lost, and a country broken apart, both literally and metaphorically. While the Civil War left the country torn, it was imperative that it took place to resolve the many political, social, and economic issues that plagued the country.

The North, which were anti-slavery, argued that Congress had the power to prohibit slavery in the new state. Meanwhile, the South,which were pro-slavery, believed that states, rather than the government, should have the right to decide whether they wanted slavery or not therefore they argued that the State of Missouri had the right to decide whether they wanted to be a slave state or not and that it should not be up to the Congress to decide. In an effort to preserve the balance of power in Congress between slave and free states, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise which allowed Missouri to be a slave state and allowed Maine into the Union as a free state to resolve crisis, which a member of Congress, Henry Clay, offered. The history surrounding the nineteenth century led to the establishment of the Missouri

This battle led to the succession of several states, including South Carolina, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia, dividing the nation into conflicting factions. As the nation continued to divide, it became more clear that the Civil War was caused by disputed beliefs about slavery. Furthermore the Civil War was prompted by the difference in economic priority, political stances and candidates, and the public view of slavery.

The Missouri Compromise, Sectionalism, the steady rise in the Abolitionist Movement, and the election of Abraham Lincoln all contributed to the conflict which began the Civil War. The continuous disagreements regarding slavery between the North and South divided the Union early on. Differences in culture, education and social practices cultivated the growing divide between regions. Most northern states had completely abolished slavery by the beginning of the nineteenth century, causing the conflict of interest politically between the North and South. With the western territories being settled at a rapid pace, a fierce political competition heated between the North and South.

Did you know, that the Civil War happened because of slavery not state’s rights, most Americans believe that. The Civil war happened in the years 1862 through 1865, and it was when the Northern and Southern States fought over slavery. What started the war was the Thirteenth Amendment which was passed to end all slavery,and it divided the country and into two, the states or people of America were either Confederate or part of the Union. The Confederates fought for keeping slaves since they needed them to work for free so they gained money and they didn’t need to pay them while the Union fought to free slaves since one of the nation’s principles was freedom and they wanted all to be free. Most importantly, back in those days, Americans thought

Effectively, both sides were using demagoguery to try to promote their side and demean the other. This led to huge rivalries and sectional divisions. Thomas Jefferson says in a letter that the Union is in bad shape. He goes onto say that the divide between north and south exists because people are steadfast in their point of view and every little event that regards slavery will mark this divide deeper and deeper.(Doc 1) These differences in parties and geography are very similar to the divide we see today.

South Carolinian, John H. Cochran chronicled the agitation in South Carolina during the nullification crisis. Cochran’s mother received a letter from Cochran explaining the rising anxiety and uncertainty of war in South Carolina at the time. Cochran states “So much so that thinking men believe that a war between the sections is imminent” (Cochran, VS). Cochran details how the country is in a fearful state of agitation, and Cochran claims visiting family at the time would be too difficult due to the impending possibility of war.

gained lots of land and the slave states and the abolitionist states were trying to determine who should get which territory so that the power in the senate would not fall to one’s advantage. This is where the main source of the conflict was made because if there were more slave states in the senate many legislations would most likely get passed in their favor. And the abolitionists were afraid that slave freedoms would become a minority in Congress. But if there were more abolitionist states in the senate then many legislations would most likely get passed in their favor. The slave states believed the abolitionist states were trying to limit slavery in the U.S..

People started to get mad and angry due to sectionalism and fight for their homes and the land they lived on. Sectionalism may cause people to protect and fight for certain areas and cultural differences, causing hate and other things to occur, such as economic differences. These main reasons most likely caused the Civil War between the North and the South, because of slavery, secession, and sectionalism. The last main reason for the Civil War is a really important factor in the cause of the Civil War, because this shows the people having sections of a Union and choosing sides. Document J notes show a map of how sectionalism affected America, dividing people between slave states and free states.

Prior to the Civil war, contentious issues had threatened to corrupt the national unity within the United States, but none more controversial and prominent than slavery. Congress, with multiple attempts, failed to seek compromises that pleased the North and South. In many scenarios, Congress often satisfied one side, but failed to do the same with the other, which created more turmoil. For instance, the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Dred Scott decision were two prime examples of the unsuccessful compromises, revolving around the prominent disagreement: slavery. Conclusively, Congress failed to find a way for the North and South to coexist cordially, which in the end divided the two to a greater extent, making the Civil War inescapable.

Perhaps the single most important contribution to the outbreak of the Civil War in the United States was the issue of slavery. Though it cannot be said that slavery was the only cause of the Civil War, it can be said that it played an undeniably imperative role in. The other factors that contributed to the Civil War, particularly the economic and social issues of the time, were often intersected with slavery. Indeed, it seems that slavery so permeated the country at the time that it was difficult to find a political issue that was not connected to it in some way or another. It was thoroughly fixed in the economy of the time before the war—so much so that many believed ending slavery could only be a grave mistake.

Even though the Civil War was largely influenced by the political sectionalism, that the actual road to the Civil War was a mixed of economic, political, and social differences that pitted the North against the South. As the Southerners became more and more entrenched in slavery, it was impossible for the Southerner to escape from it because the wealth and power it brought the Southerners, while the North’s economy was not dependent upon slavery and they were able to view how inhuman it is. The mixture of these two factors makes the Civil War

In the creating of the US Constitution, the creators hit many roadblocks. It was difficult for the state delegates to decide on much, especially because they were biased and in favor of their own states. The New Jersey Plan and the Virginia Plan were two examples of the disagreement of representation within the states in the legislative branch. The New Jersey Plan was in favor of equal representation throughout the states. The Virginia Plan was in favor of population representation, meaning the larger states would have more representation than the smaller states.