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Civil War Dbq Essay

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The Civil War, beginning in April of 1861 and ending in April of 1865 was one of the most controversial and yet influential battles in American history, but what started it is even more controversial. Leading up to the beginning of the civil war, many southern states began to succeed.. This meant that a lot of them withdrew from the federal union voluntarily. The southern states seceding sparked the beginning of the civil war. As the documents entitled Declaration of Causes of Seceding States, 1861: South Carolina, Senator John C. Calhoun (D-SC) "Slavery a Positive Good" and Senator James Henry Hammond (D-SC), speech to congress March 4,1858, further explain hope the suicessuons of many southern states caused the beginning of the civil war. …show more content…

This feeling of unhappiness stemmed from the government's perceived favoritism towards Northern states' interests. Document 2, Declaration of Causes of Seceding States, 1861: South Carolina, shows their letter of withdrawal from the federal union."But in deference to the opinions and wishes of the other slaveholding states, she forbored at that time to exercise this right"(document 2). To better explain, it touches upon how many seceding states wanted to keep slavery. Another example of how South Carolina felt that their rights were not being protected is shown in document entitled Senator John C. Calhoun (D-SC) "Slavery a Positive Good". “The former may now be controlled, but in a short time it will be beyond the power of man to arrest the course of events. We of the South will not, cannot, surrender our institutions”(document 3). This puts into detail how the union may be able to keep things within control, but that it can only last a short time before situations fall out of hand. Therefore, South Carolina's secession marked the beginning of a series of events that would ultimately lead to the beginning of a long …show more content…

The state worried that their economy, heavily dependent on the institution of slavery, would be at risk should the federal government seek further restrictions. It states in the document titled Senator John C. Calhoun (D-SC) "Slavery a Positive Good", "If left to themselves, we must finally become two people. It is impossible Under the deadly hatred which must spring up between the two great nations, if the present causes are permitted to operate unchecked, that we should continue under the same political system"(document 3). Many of the southern states believed that if slavery was taken away then there was no way that they could live together in a world without rank, especially South Carolina."I hold that in the present state of civilization, where two races of different origin, and distinguished by color, and other physical differences, as well as intellectual, are brought together, the relation now existing in the slave holding States between two, is, instead of an evil, a good - a positive good"(document 3). Along with the belief that states had the right to determine their own laws regarding slavery, This fear contributed to the tensions that ultimately led to the Civil

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