Slavery as the Cause of the American Civil War Essay

The American Civil War was the bloodiest military conflict in American history leaving over 500 thousand dead and over 300 thousand wounded (Roark 543-543). One might ask, what caused such internal tension within the most powerful nation in the world? During the nineteenth century, America was an infant nation, but toppling the entire world with its social, political, and economic innovations. In addition, immigrants were migrating from their native land to live the American dream (Roark 405-407). Meanwhile, hundreds of thousand African slaves were being traded in the domestic slave trade throughout the American south. Separated from their family, living in inhumane conditions, and working countless hours for days straight, the issue of†¦show more content†¦For instance, the Slave Trade Act of 1807 which prohibited the importation of slaves to America, but did not stop domestic slave trading. This picture of slavery did not upset many Northerners as Harriet Beecher Stoweâ₠¬â„¢s depiction (Roark 340-341). For the most part, the North took a laissez faire approach to slavery that it would figure itself out eventually. However, there was a population of people who wanted to end slavery at all cost and they were called abolitionist. Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist and she published one of the best books in American history, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, in 1852. The book detailed the poor treatment of slaves and the depicted their everyday life. This depiction enraged many Northerners who were unaware of the horrible treatment slaves endured daily. Stowe based her depiction off runaway slaves who ran to the North and told their story as a slave. Runaway slaves were another inevitable aspect of the Civil War (Roark 481,484-485). In response to slaves running north for freedom, the US Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, an extension of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793, which granted owners the right to recapture their slaves and place them back in slavery. This was a controversial issue because slave owners could hire a bounty hunter to capture slaves, or in most instances, capture a free AfricanShow MoreRelated Slavery as the Cause of the American Civil War Essay example489 Words   |  2 PagesThe Civil War was caused by many several pressures, principles, and prejudices, fueled by sectional differences, and was finally set into motion by a most unlikely set of political events. From economic differences to political differences all the way up to cultural differences, the North and the South opposed each other. These tensions were further increased after the western expansion of the United States. By the early 1850’s a civil war was known to be likely coming soon. Economically, theRead MoreTo What Extent Was Slavery the Cause of the American Civil War?4178 Words   |  17 Pagesof the period 1763-1865, how far was the American Civil War caused by long term divisions over the issue of slavery? In his second inaugural address in March 1865, Abraham Lincoln looked back at the beginning of the Civil War four years earlier all knew, he said, that slavery was somehow the cause of the war. This essay will endeavour to discuss the role of long term divisions caused by the slavery debate in the eventual outbreak of the Civil War. In doing so this analysis will encompassRead MoreThe American Civil War Of 18611340 Words   |  6 Pages　　　　The American Civil War of 1861 to 1865 was a battle between the Union Party, led by Abraham Lincoln, and the Confederacy, led by Jefferson Davis and was described as ‘cruelty’ by one William Tecumseh Sherman. It can be argued whether slavery was the real root cause of the carnage that caused the loss of over 620,000 military personnel and a speculated 400,000 who were captured or deemed missing. The Unionist historian George Bancroft blamed slavery ‘the uprising of the irresistible spirit ofRead Mor eThe Causes Of The Civil War1409 Words   |  6 PagesThe causes of the Civil War were complex and have been controversial since the country began. Some causes include; states’ rights, economics, and slavery. The most recognizable and popular cause is slavery. The freeing of the slaves was an important moral issue at the time and one of the greatest causes of the civil war. It was only by carefully avoiding the moral issue involved in slavery that Northerners and Southerners could meet on any common ground. (Goldston, 79). The time came in which ourRead MoreSlavery And The Civil War958 Words   |  4 Pagesblood in slavery so that many parts of America could become prosperous and recognized in the world†, this is quote from Josephine Baker, one of America’s early prominent black performers. Slavery, which will be discussed in greater detail, affected Africans kidnapped from their homeland and brought to the Americas to be sold and forced to work in horrible, vi le, disgusting conditions. Slavery was also a great economic boosts for the United States due to cotton, however, overtime slavery began toRead MorePrimary Causes Of The Civil War820 Words   |  4 Pagesstandpoints on why the Civil War had been fought but the primary reason why the Civil War started over uncompromisable differences between free Southern states and pro-slavery Northern states and their controversy over government power and slave laws. Fought during April of 1861 to 1865, the Civil War had divided the country into a frenzy against each other. In fact, a devastating 620,000 soldiers had died from accident, combat, starvation and disease, the deadliest war in American history. To add toRead MoreSlavery Cause for Civil War1483 Words   |  6 Pagesï » ¿ SLAVERY (THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE AMERICAN CIVIL WAR) US History to 1877 – HIST101 American Military University, 26 April 2014 Many factors led to the occurrence of the American Civil War. The key issues were slavery, different political ideologies, right of the people, and economic reasons. However, the key reasons that lead to the Civil War was slavery. Slavery is touted as the main cause of the conflict between the states in the northern part and those in theRead More`` Apostles Of Disunion : Southern Secession Commissioners And The Cause Of The Civil War `` Essay1187 Words   |  5 PagesSecession Commissioners and the Causes of the Civil War,† Charles B. Dew analyzes the public letters and speeches of white, southern commissioners in order to prove that the Civil War was fought over slavery. By analyzing the public letters and speeches of the commissioners, Dew offers a compelling argument proving that slavery along with the ideology of white supremacy were primary causes of the Civil War. Dew is not only the Ephraim Williams Professor of American History at Williams College, butRead MoreCivil Wa r Causes1382 Words   |  6 Pages Causes of the Civil War John Brown’s Raid vs. Industrial Revolution John Brown’s Raid was a more influential cause to the civil war than the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution caused incompability between the North and the South. The North relied on wage laborers with the new machine age economy while the South relied heavily on slaves. So, the North did not need slaves for their economyRead MoreJames M. Mcpherson : An American Civil War Essay1397 Words   |  6 PagesJames M. McPherson: James McPherson was born on October 11th 1936, he is an American Civil War historian. He received the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for Battle Cry of Freedom, his most famous book. McPherson was the president of the American Historical Association in 2003, and is a member of the editorial board of Encyclopedia Britannica. In his early career McPherson wanted to leave a legacy as being known for the historian who focusses on more than one point. Through skillful narrative in a broad-ranging