The Civil War in the United States broke out due to a combination of economic, political, and societal tensions. The South’s agricultural economy, which relied on slavery, conflicted with the North’s industrialization. Political debates over free states and slave states grew tensions even more between the North and the South. Additionally, societal differences in values, specifically slavery separated the nation which fueled the outbreak of the Civil War. Economically, the United States was marked by the differences of the North and the South which significantly contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War. The passage of the Tariff of Abominations in 1828 highlighted tensions between these two forces. This tariff, which was designed to protect Northern …show more content…
As the nation expanded westward, the decision of whether new territories would be slave or free states became very argumentative which reflected the economic interests of both Northern industrialists and Southern plantation owners. These economic conflicts increased the separation between the North and the South which ultimately led to the outbreak of the Civil War. Next, politically, the United States faced tensions that were driven by a series of events that deepened the divide between the North and the South. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 tried to address the issue of slavery in new territories in the United States with the exception of Missouri. While reducing tensions for the moment, this compromise postponed the unavoidable conflict over slavery’s expansion. The passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850 increased political tensions even more. This law required that all captured slaves who escaped must be returned to their owners. This compelled citizens and law enforcement officials in free states to take part in the enforcement of slavery, regardless of their personal beliefs. The anger caused by this law