What Caused The Civil War Essay

Seven slavery southern states individually declared their secession from the U.S and formed the ‘’Confederacy,’’ or the ‘’South.’’ The ‘’Northern’’ states, or ‘’Union,’’ didn’t declared their secession. This, known as the civil war(1860-1865) lasted four years, and led over more than 600,000 confederates dead. The war had its conflicts over slavery, especially its extension over the western territories. The war destroyed much of the south, leading to the collapse of the Confederacy, and the abolishment of slavery. Beside slavery, many other causes led to the sectional debate including The Compromise of 1850, Kansas vs. Nebraska Act, the Election of Abraham Lincoln, Dred Scott Decision, and the Free-Soil Ideology. The Compromise of 1850 was proposed by Henry Clay. The main cause to deal was the slavery gained in new territories. The Compromise tried to organize territory in the west.

The Free-Soil Ideology was an anti-slavery party. Northerners thought that free labor was a better form of work than slavery since it was more efficient. The Free-Soil would stop the spread of slavery into new territories. In 1856, James Buchanan was nominated to presidency, he won victory over Fremont, and Fillmore. During his presidency, a financial panic struck the country, leading to a depression that lasted several years known as the Buchanan and Depression. In 1857, the Dred Scott Decision occurred because Roger Taney declared that the majority of blacks weren’t U.S citizens, but Congress hadn’t the authority to exclude slavery from any territory, which any future attempt to restrict slavery. The John Brown Raid was also major cause. John Brown firmly believed that a collapse of slavery was the only answer. He waited to provoke a rebellion by arming slaves in Virginia. Brown was found guilty of murder. Northerners viewed him as a hero, and Southerners were convince they couldn’t live safety in the