In the 1850s, tensions within America heightened over slavery. Abolitionists refused any attempts at compromise.
South Carolina was the first state to declare independence from the Union in January 1860, shortly thereafter Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee also seceded from it.
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Those seeking to maintain the Union attempted to find ways of compromise; however, as America headed rapidly toward war.
Slavery
An ever-widening gap was driven by disparate perceptions of slavery between North and South. While industrialization characterized Northern society, slavery played a defining role in Southern economies. Slave labor dominated their economies while Southerners strived to protect their system even as its economic viability decreased over time.
Slavery reached its breaking point during the 1860 presidential election when Abraham Lincoln opposed extending slavery into new Western territories, angering many white Southerners and prompting seven slave states to secede from the Union and form the Confederate States of America, seize federal forts, and declare war against it.
Slavery was an integral component of Southern society and its economic importance made its abandonment difficult, particularly as owners were required by law to transport freed slaves across state lines. Slaves were often exploited both physically and emotionally by their masters; education was denied them or punished for minor offenses, they had limited freedom of movement or religious expression, and were assigned hierarchies of laboring jobs that ranged from house workers, artisans, to field hands.
Some slaves attempted to flee, sparking riots and rebellions across the South. Additionally, the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin and 1857 Supreme Court ruling in Dred Scott that held that African Americans weren't citizens only escalated Northerners' opposition to slavery further. By late 1850s a political party had emerged that made abolishing slavery its main issue; this infuriated Southerners further, prompting John Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry arsenal that year to further inflame tensions.
Politics
Political divisions arose between North and South because of differing opinions about slavery, economic issues, religious practices and cultural traditions that contributed to conflict. Political agreements like Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850 as well as Supreme Court rulings like Dred Scott further deepened the divide.
In 1860, Southerners sought to maintain their traditional ways of life and were alarmed that Northern abolitionists intended on overthrowing them. John Brown led an armed raid against Harpers Ferry's federal armory and arsenal, though this proved futile as soon after being caught and hanged shortly afterwards he signalled to Southerners that a more perilous stage of conflict had begun.
Northern leaders, led by President Lincoln and General Halleck from Lincoln's war cabinet, viewed secession as an act of treason and sought to end its threat with punishment of Southern states by punishing them. Unfortunately, such harsh action only deepened tensions further.
By 1864, the Union army had moved successfully into Virginia. Although its forces suffered heavy casualties at Wilderness and Spotsylvania, they eventually defeated Lee's troops at Cold Harbor and at Petersburg; these victories led them into victory in Virginia.
After four years of brutal combat, the Civil War came to an end with Confederate surrender in 1865. But its effects lingered for decades as Southerners worked to rebuild their economy and society after its loss. Today, many schools still bear Confederate general names while many Southerners hesitate to refer to their war as "The Lost Cause." Understanding it more as part of a gradual journey rather than as evidence of Southern resolve could help Americans better comprehend why Americans fought it in the first place.
Economy
Northern economies were driven by manufacturing and large cities; South economies relied on vast plantations farms producing labor-intensive crops like cotton and tobacco that required slave labor to work them effectively.
An expanding abolitionist movement in the North, opposition from northerners against expanding slavery into new Western territories and Abraham Lincoln's election as president brought America close to war in 1860. Southerners feared that national government would abolish slavery while also feeling angered by Congress passing and endorsing fugitive slave laws which allowed Federal marshals to return escaped slaves back home.
After Lincoln was elected president, seven southern states declared their secession and joined together as Confederate States of America; four more would follow until its conclusion five years later in 1865. Although only five years long, its impact still resonates across politics, economy and culture today.
The American Civil War was both costly and deadly in terms of lives lost, but also a pivotal event that transformed American society by overthrowing plantation society and slave-based agricultural capitalism, forever changing the course of American history. Mark Twain famously described the Civil War as an unprecedented event that uprooted centuries-old institutions, transformed an entire nation, and had long-term consequences that cannot be quantified within one generation. Economic differences and cotton production were major causes of conflict; however, stepping away from this simplified view reveals more nuanced reasons behind it all that have to do with far more than economic differences between farms and factories.
Religion
Religion was at the core of both sides' conflicts during and leading up to the American Civil War, particularly those that led up to it. The 1860s witnessed an expansion of evangelical Christianity across much of Southern and frontier areas, sparking anti-immigration sentiment and Catholic animus, while various court cases and Supreme Court decisions regarding slavery such as Dred Scott made balance more difficult between federal and state authority as a result of ruling that slaves were just pieces of property rather than humans entitle to rights and privileges.
By 1860, population growth in the Northern states had outshone that of the South, making it increasingly difficult for Southerners to gain power in national politics and make their pro-slavery demands heard. Furthermore, Abraham Lincoln's victory without receiving one vote from Southerners in the Electoral College signaled their diminishing influence within Washington.
On April 12th 1861, the Civil War broke out when Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, South Carolina, which had been under U.S. military occupation since 1842. President Lincoln responded with an order for 75,000 troops to quell the rebellion, alarming Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee and leading them to abandon the Union and join Confederacy. The Civil War, or War Between the States, lasted four years and was America's deadliest conflict, killing an estimated 620,000 Americans (2 percent of its population). Following Appomattox, however, America entered an era known as Reconstruction wherein efforts were undertaken to bring former Confederate states back into Union while providing civil rights to newly freed blacks.
Culture
The American Civil War was an excruciating period in our nation's history. It caused widespread devastation to the South and took hundreds of lives while bringing an end to slavery and more democratic government for America as a whole. Additionally, industrialization, big business, and strong central governance all rose as results of this tragic conflict.
Conflict between North and South began in 1861 after years of mounting tensions regarding slavery, states' rights, and westward expansion. Following Abraham Lincoln's election as president in 1860 and subsequent formation of the Republican party which opposed further expansion of slavery into new states and territories; Northerners supported their right as farmers and workers to enjoy their hard-won rewards and better themselves through education and financial means.
Southerners relied heavily on slave labor for farming economy and cotton production, prompting many textbooks to state that this economic disparity led directly to war. Yet looking beyond simple causes such as slavery and cotton can provide for a much richer understanding of this conflict.
The American Civil War stands as one of the nation's defining moments and one of the most harrowing events ever endured by us all. Not only was slavery at its worst during this era; its legacy has also served as a warning of how easily our nation can descend into war again. When one President commits the United States without or with limited congressional approval to any policy or course of action - such as Vietnam or even more recently with Russia - its consequences can be catastrophic; so much so that several times since we've come close to war again; consequences such as those seen with both these actions already have occurred and resulted in conflict; consequences have also included devastating outcomes as seen with each time; its legacy still resonates today and most recently with Russia!
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