Civil War Dbq Essay

Throughout the mid 1800s, tensions between the North and South were high; they could never seem to agree. They both had different views on how they wanted to be governed and how they wanted to live their life. As the US started expanding across the coast, issues arose with how states should be run. Especially after the Mexican-American War, many issues presented between the north and south. Although they tried to fix these issues, their solutions never lasted for long. Despite the fact that some may argue that governing and expansion were the main reasons for the Civil War, slavery was the main cause of the Civil War.
Critics argue that governing was the main reason for the Civil War. The north and south had different views on how they wanted

In the 1800s, Americans had the want to expand because of Manifest Destiny. Manifest Destiny is the belief that God wants the U.S. to expand from coast to coast. However, with acquiring this land, many issues presented as well. One issue was Nebraska and Kansas coming into the Union. In Document 5 President James Buchanan describes the Nebraska-Kansas Act in his Inaugural Address. He decided that the two states would be decided upon popular sovereignty. However, popular sovereignty did not work well in Kansas. There were many issues of violence because no one could agree on slavery in the new state. As new states came into the Union, many questions came along with it. To prevent these issues, compromises were made, like the Compromise of 1850. However, they only lasted for so long. In Document 3, Evening Journal, a New York newspaper states how the Compromises need to stop; there will be no more slave or free territories. This article shows the point of view of someone who lived in New York. New York was a northern state who was anti-slavery and did not want anymore slave territories. Although expansion was a reason for the Civil War, it was not the most

The North and South had complete opposite views on slavery. The North wanted to abolish it and the South wanted it to expand. In Document 2, Fredercik Douglass states how African Americans are not given the principles of freedom and justice like it states in the Declaration of Independence. He also says how the Fourth of July does not really belong to them. This document shows the point of view of a former slave who escaped to freedom. He then became an abolitionist. Further, Douglass wrote the North Star and worked in the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to freedom. However, many people of the South did not view slaves as people. In Document 4, George Fitzhugh, a southern writer, talks about how a free laborer is more of a slave than a slave. He states how they work harder and longer for less allowance. However, slaves went through awful physical and mental trauma that laborers did not. Southerners viewed slaves as weak and lazy. In Document 7, there is a picture of Cotton Picking in a Plantain. Slaves were forced to work for hours and hours everyday in these plantations. Because of the high demand of cotton, the South felt that slaves were needed. Slaves also worked six days a week with little time to themselves. The way the South treated the slaves angered the North. Slavery heavily increased the tensions between the North and South. Slavery was the most important cause of the Civil