3 Causes Of The Civil War

The Civil War was one of the most tragic events in American history, and it affected people from all walks of life. There were many reasons for the war, and each state had its own unique set of circumstances that led to it.

1. Slavery

Slavery was the primary cause of the Civil War. In 1820, Congress passed the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited slavery in new states north of 36 degrees 30 minutes latitude. However, this law caused conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the country.

In 1854, Senator Stephen A. Douglas proposed to organize Kansas and Nebraska Territories as “free states” instead of “slave states.” This led to political tension between abolitionists and pro-slavery factions throughout the nation.

In 1860, Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election against Stephen Douglas. The southern states were upset over Lincoln’s victory because he did not support slavery and wanted to abolish it in the United States forever.

2. States’ Rights

n 1861, South Carolina declared that it would secede from the Union and form its own government. At that point, six other Southern states joined South Carolina in declaring their intention to secede as well. The following year, these seven states formed the Confederate States of America (CSA), which they considered an independent nation. They were joined by four more states during the course of the war.

The CSA claimed that they were acting according to their right as sovereign states under the US Constitution’s Tenth Amendment, which says that “the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution… are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” In other words, if a power is not specifically granted by Congress or one of its agencies—such as the Supreme Court—then it belongs solely to state governments.

This claim was disputed by President Abraham Lincoln and others who believed that secession was illegal because it meant breaking up a union formed by treaty between sovereign nations (in this case: individual states).

3. Economic Differences

The Civil War was a time of great economic upheaval. The Southern economy was based on slavery, which meant that the South had no need for free labor. The North, on the other hand, was able to bring in immigrants who built infrastructure and engaged in other types of work that helped to grow the economy. This difference in outlook led to conflict between the two regions over economics as well as other issues.