John Yowan
CCAH
October 25, 2004
Period 2
Causes of the Civil War
There were many causes that led up to the Civil War.
These causes have been a very controversial subject in American history. Three
of the causes were, State Rights, Economics, and Slavery.
Before the Civil War started the southern states
wanted to break away from The Union and become their own country. The North
believed that according to the Constitution the Federal Government had more
power than the State governments. The Southerners had a different
interpretation of the Constitution and believed that they had the right to
decide on what they wanted under state law and that the Federal Government
should not interfere. The North tried to force their beliefs of State Rights
upon the South. The South resented the North’s ideas, which caused a division
between the North and the South.
During the time leading up to the Civil War the
South was richer than the North because of the exports of cotton, tobacco,
rice, sugar, corn, wheat, and indigo. Many of the bigger agricultural
businesses depended on slaves to work the fields. Exporting many of these
products, especially cotton, which was produced cheaply due to the cotton gin,
and could be sold for a high price, could make a lot of money. The plantation
owners formed a wealthy and powerful group. The North got its economical
strength from manufacturing, where profit was not as great.
By the 1860s slavery had already been the subject of
major conflicts between the North and the South. Most people in the North hated
slavery because they felt that it was wrong. In the south Slaves were important
for labor in the fields. In 1820, the Missouri Compromise was passed, which
prohibited slavery in the land north of Missouri’s southern border.
In 1850 California wanted to enter the Union as a
free state. Before this the Senate was balanced, with fifteen free states and
15 slave states. If California were allowed to enter the balance would be
destroyed. After many debates the Compromise of 1850 was passed and California
was allowed to enter the Union as a free state and the South got a tougher
fugitive-slave law in return.
In 1854 another law passed the Congress called the
Kansas-Nebraska Act, which got rid of the Missouri Compromise. This opened more
of the west to slavery. Kansas then became the main area of conflict for those
with Pro-slavery beliefs and Abolitionists or those opposing slavery.
Pro-slavery border ruffians form Missouri Raided and sacked the city of
Lawrence. During this time John Brown, an abolitionist from Ohio, came to
Kansas to help defeat the border ruffians. This time in Kansas’s history became
known as “Bleeding Kansas”.
In October of 1859 John Brown and twenty-one of his
followers seized the United States Arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. In order for the
raid to be a success Brown would have to escape before the news of the raid
reached Washington, and the local slaves would have to rebel against their
owners. Neither of these happened.
On October 18, just two days after the raid on Harper’s Ferry, Marines under the command of Col. Robert E. Lee were sent by train to destroy Brown’s hostilities. The invasion lasted a total of thirty-six hours and ended when Lee captured John Brown. John Brown was then hung and because of his actions it opened further the fierce debate among Abolitionists and Pro-Slavery people.
Although there were many causes of the American Civil War and all could be considered catalysts. I believe the three causes stated in this paper to be the main concerns, with the Kansas-Nebraska Act being the major catalyst as it lead to "Bleeding Kansas". In reality the war had already began with Kansas and Missouri fighting in skirmishes. John Brown then took the battle from Kansas or the West and brought it back to the East. This helped to quicken the beginning of the American Civil War.