The American Civil War of 1861 to 1865, was one of the most important and worst events in American history. This extremely bloody and cruel war, in which Americans fought against themselves, had many causes. From the Decleration of Independence 1776 to the war itsself, many problems concerning morality, the Westward movement, slavery and ethnicity occured. Nowadays many people think that there was only one reason for the Civil War – namely slavery. Keeping this strong generalisation in mind, I want to explain that here were quite a lot of factors and events piled up over decades to explode in the 1860´s.
The following chapters will explain the situation from 1820 to the beginning of the Civil War. I am going to start with the situation in the 1850´s and before and go on with the war against Mexico an its aftermath. After that I want to decode the complicated situation about the decisions on slavery, based on the two chapters before. In the last two parts of the text the last steps to the Civil War will be described in detail. That includes the “Kansas-Nebraska-Act” and the election of Abraham Lincoln to president. All these events named are known as the maincauses of the Civil War by historians, on which this assignment is based.
Table of Contents
1 INTRODUCTION
2 THE SITUATION IN NORTHAMARICA IN THE 1850´S AND THE TIME BEFORE
3 THE WAR AGAINST MEXICO AND THE QUESTION OF SLAVERY IN THE TERRITORIES
4 THE SOUTH AND ITS PROBLEMS WITH FUGITIVE SLAVES
5 THE “KANSAS- NEBRASKA-ACT” AND “BLEEDING KANSAS”
6 LINCOLN, DOUGLAS AND THE LAST STEPS TO SECESSION OF 1861
7 CONCLUSION
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This work examines the complex causal factors leading to the American Civil War between 1861 and 1865. The primary objective is to move beyond the common oversimplification that slavery was the sole cause, instead investigating a wide array of socio-economic, political, and moral tensions that escalated over decades. The study specifically analyzes how regional differences, industrial shifts, and political disputes over territorial governance culminated in the national fracture.
- The divergence of economic and social structures between the industrial North and the agrarian, slave-dependent South.
- The political impact of territorial expansion, including the war against Mexico and the resulting debates over slavery's status in new states.
- The role of key legislative and legal milestones, such as the Fugitive Slave Act and the Dred Scott decision.
- The escalation of conflict through the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the subsequent violence in "Bleeding Kansas."
- The path to secession triggered by the 1860 presidential election of Abraham Lincoln.
Excerpt from the Book
The “Kansas- Nebraska-Act” and “Bleeding Kansas”
The leader of the northwestern Democrates, Stephen A. Douglas, believed in popular souvereignity and the future of the West. Douglas wanted to speed up settlement in the territories and to do that, he proposed to organize two new states, namely Kansas and Nebraska. These territories should decide by themselves, whether they want slavery in their new states or not. This idea of popular souvereignity existed since the discussion about Califorinia´s right to become a state of the union. At that time the idea was dropped, because there were too many nearly bloody arguments in the Senat. Now Douglas’ input caused fury on both sides of the country, so that the “Whigs” totally broke up. Then the Republican Party was founded in 1854 out of former “Consience Whigs” and the “American Party”. This new party was just elected by the northeners. Therefore the Senat stopped the discussion and brought the popular souvereignity to new states for the first time.
The political debate about Kansas and Nebraska was, of course, rendered to the settlers there. The first settlers in Kansas were mainly “Free Soilers”. Later immigrants who wanted to spread slavery all over the West, came from Missourie. Both sides began to quarrell also with weapons, bacause the gouveneur of Kansas changed sides, from “free-soil-friendly” to “slavery-friendly”. This situation escalated so badly, that the army in those areas was not able to intervene in this brutal battle. The Missourian settlers now brought a kind of police into existance and destroyed, looted and burned everythig owned by “Free Soilers”. Meanwhile there was a stalemate in politics, because the Republicans had the majority in the House of Republicans and the Democrats in the Senat and additionally a new president had to be elected. First of all the whole situation calmed down in 1861, when Kansas became a free state after a long period of bloody incidents and suffering of people there, with constant threats of secession from the South and compromises of the North.
Summary of Chapters
1 INTRODUCTION: This chapter outlines the historical context of the American Civil War and challenges the notion that slavery was the singular cause, setting the stage for a multi-causal analysis.
2 THE SITUATION IN NORTHAMARICA IN THE 1850´S AND THE TIME BEFORE: This section details the rapid economic and social growth of the US, highlighting the widening rift between the industrial North and the agrarian South.
3 THE WAR AGAINST MEXICO AND THE QUESTION OF SLAVERY IN THE TERRITORIES: This chapter analyzes how territorial acquisitions led to intense political disputes over the legality of slavery in new states, destabilizing the national political landscape.
4 THE SOUTH AND ITS PROBLEMS WITH FUGITIVE SLAVES: This chapter explores the escalating tensions caused by the Fugitive Slave Act and the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision, which further polarized the country.
5 THE “KANSAS- NEBRASKA-ACT” AND “BLEEDING KANSAS”: This section investigates the legislative attempt to use popular sovereignty to resolve the slavery question, which resulted in violent conflict in the Kansas territory.
6 LINCOLN, DOUGLAS AND THE LAST STEPS TO SECESSION OF 1861: This chapter describes the political polarization leading up to the 1860 election and the ultimate collapse of the Union following the victory of Abraham Lincoln.
7 CONCLUSION: This final chapter synthesizes the events leading to the war, affirming that while slavery was central, a combination of irreconcilable regional interests made the conflict unavoidable.
Keywords
American Civil War, Slavery, Secession, North-South conflict, Popular Sovereignty, Abraham Lincoln, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Fugitive Slave Act, Dred Scott decision, Manifest Destiny, Industrial Revolution, Plantation economy, Abolitionism, Union, Confederacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this publication?
This work explores the multi-faceted origins of the American Civil War, analyzing the economic, moral, and political factors that pushed the United States toward conflict in the mid-19th century.
What are the primary thematic fields addressed in the text?
The text covers regional economic divergence, the expansion of the US, political debates surrounding the status of slavery in new territories, and the shifting legislative climate of the 1850s.
What is the central research question?
The core inquiry is how the accumulation of various unresolved socio-political issues over several decades transformed regional friction into an inevitable national war.
Which scientific methodology is applied?
The author employs a historical analysis methodology, synthesizing contemporary events and historiographical perspectives to trace the timeline of political and social developments from 1820 to 1861.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body covers the industrialization of the North, the agricultural structure of the South, the impact of the Mexican-American War, the legislative fallout of the 1850s, and the political rise of Abraham Lincoln.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include the American Civil War, slavery, popular sovereignty, secession, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and the ideological divide between the Union and the Confederacy.
How did the Dred Scott decision specifically influence the path to war?
The decision ruled that enslaved people were not citizens and that the federal government could not prohibit slavery in territories, which effectively invalidated political compromises and infuriated Northern abolitionists.
What role did the election of 1860 play in the formal secession of Southern states?
The election of Abraham Lincoln served as a catalyst because the Southern states viewed his platform and the Republican party as an existential threat to their "right of possession" regarding slavery, leading to the immediate withdrawal of South Carolina and others.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Doreen Bärwolf (Autor:in), 2006, The Causes of the American Civil War, München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/156440
