How the Civil War Came to Be Was the Civil War very “civil” at all? The Civil War had many factors that led into it but there was one major factor that started the war. Slavery was one of the biggest factors in the Civil War. There was a big issue that divided the North and South which was slavery. The wide spread of slavery was a big deal to most Americans; but some were not the biggest fans of the concept. When slavery divided the United States of America into the Confederacy and the Union, there was an outbreak in wars which eventually sparked the Civil War. What Caused the Civil War? After looking at the documents and evidence given, it is clear that the Civil War was caused by slavery. The following reasons are why this is true; economics, …show more content…
These were a big deal involving slavery because they either strengthened slavery or made it seem like it was going to end all together. To the South, the thought of slavery ending was a complete disaster. In Document 9: Excerpt from the Dred Scott Decision, shows how Scott saw the Missouri Compromise. He says, “(I)t is the opinion of this court that the Act of Congress (the Missouri Compromise) which prohibited a citizen from holding and owning property of this kind (slaves) in the territory of the United States north of the line therein mentioned,...” This quote from his speech says he thinks that the Missouri Compromise was a good thing because it prohibited people who own slaves to cross the North and South border with their “property” or slaves. And the South thought that was a failed compromise. In Document 8: Lithograph by Harry T. Peters, shows two men in the front on the ground while one (Preston Brooks) is beating the man on the ground (Sumner) with his cane. This happened because Senator Charles Sumner delivered a long speech called “The Crime Against Kansas” which included him attacking pro-slavery men and insulting the South Carolina and one of its Senators. Two days after the speech, Brooks broke into the Senate chambers and beat Sumner with a cane. Brooks didn’t like the speech that Sumner gave because Brooks is a pro-slavery man who was offended by Sumner’s speech so he decided to take a stand and defend himself. This evidence shows that failed compromises were part of the leading issue of slavery that caused the Civil