Civil War Causes

395 Words2 Pages
The US Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865, resulting in the death of approximately 120,000 Americans. The tensions between the North and South were formed early in the nation’s history. We’ve learned to study and debate the tensions in our society, keeping in mind the lives lost in the Civil War, to be certain we never repeat that mistake. Following are the causes leading up to the War Between the States. The cotton gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, reduced the time it took to separate seeds from cotton. Along with the cotton gin came the need for a large amount of cheap labor. The southern economy grew to depend on cotton and therefore slavery. The northern economy, on the other hand, was based on industry. They bought raw cotton from