Origin of Civil War
Introduction
The civil war was a fight to maintain the south in the union. The North fought hard to maintain the south in the union. The North and the South differed as each party wanted to maintain the union. The North and the south differed on the role of the federal government. Federalists claimed that the federal government needed to maintain the power together with the executive. This was to ensure the union survived. The opponents had different views on who should maintain the union. The supporters believed that the state should retain its powers within the new nation. The difference in opinion led to conflicts and disagreement and later caused the civil war.
The civil war has become a major issue in the society. This is because people have different views on the causes of civil war. Some think the civil war was not caused by economic factors, slavery, but the federal rights. Others think the civil war was caused by social economic factors, slavery and political issues. Many theories have been developed to explain the causes of civil war. This paper analyzes the origin of civil war. It analyzes the factors that led to civil war like slavery, socioeconomic factors and political factors.
Origin of civil war
The United States was divided into two states. That is the south and the North. The two states differed in terms of industrial activities, economic activities and political decisions. The North had a rapid growing economy and agriculture and industries contributed to the growth of the economy. Also, mining, commerce and transportation contributed to the growth of the economy in the North. In addition, the North had a high rate of population growth in the region. Most people were moving from rural areas to urban areas to look for better employment and living standards. The area experienced high rate of immigrants and high birth rate (Kennedy, Cohen, Bailey 2009).
The South had plantation and slavery was common in the region. Plantation owners used labor provided by the slaves to increase production and maintain the firms. The region was not well developed unlike the North. Slave holders in the South controlled politics and economics. The civil war had major impact on the citizens and the country (Henderson 2009). The origin of civil war has become a major issue in the society. Historians and other people have differed on the causes of civil war. Some people think the civil war resulted from other factors like political issues, but not social economic factors and slavery. Others think the civil war resulted from socioeconomic factors, slavery and political factors. The difference in ideas has led to several theories being developed to explain the causes of civil war. There are several factors that led to civil war between the North and South. Examples of the factors include slavery, socioeconomic factors and political factors. The factors contributed differently to civil war between the North and the South (Kennedy, Cohen, Bailey 2009).
First, socioeconomic factors contributed a lot to the civil war between the North and the South. The two states had different economies. The invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney contributed to the civil war. Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793 to help improve production of cotton in the region. The machine invented was able to reduce the time needed to produce cotton. Farmers were able to separate seeds from the cotton quickly (Henderson 2009). The machine invented helped improve the cotton industry. The cotton industry motivated farmers and planters in the South and they started producing more cotton than before. The farmers used slave labor to cut cost of producing cotton for sales to other areas. The farmers exported cotton to other regions like the North and England. The farmers purchased manufactured goods from the North. The cotton industry lead to economic growth in the country as farmers could export cotton and buy other goods. This helped enhance trade in the country and hence economic growth (Kennedy, Cohen, Bailey 2009).
Also, the increase in the number of plantation led to development of conflicts. Most people wanted to move from producing other crops to produce cotton. The increase in number of cotton plantations in the South led to increase in demand of cheap labor. Most people used slaves as the source of cheap labor. The slaves worked in the firms and helped maintain cotton plantation. The adoption of cotton production in South led to development of one crop economy. Most people in the South depended on cotton production and therefore on slaves as the source of labor. The South economy did not have many industries as the region was only aimed at producing cotton. This led to slow growth in the region as the South depended only on cotton plantation (Verne 2007).
The Northern economy was based on industrial activities and agriculture. There were many industries in the North that purchased cotton and processed it into finished products. The North experienced good economic growth as it had many industries. Also, agriculture contributed a lot to the growth of economy in the North (Egnal 2009). Factories were established all over the North and the South, but most of the industrial activities took place in the North. The south had 25% of the countries population and only 10% of the capital in the country. The North had a large number of factories compared to the South. The factories in the North were five times more than the factories in the South. Also, the North had ten times the number of employees in the area. The North had as large number of skilled workers.The skilled workers in the accounted 90% of the in the area. The south did not have a large percentage of skilled laborers (Verne 2007).
The work force in the North and the South were different. The work force in the North was expensive and workers were able to move from one area to another. The North experienced high rate of immigrants from Europe. Immigrants from Europe and Asia provided competition in the market in terms of labor (Egnal 2009). This prevented the wages in the region from increasing. The South depended on African Americans slaves as the source of labor. African Americans were used to provide cheap labor and maintain cotton plantations. Most of the white families did not have slaves. A large percentage of the families avoided slavery with only a small percentage having slaves. The slaves worked in different areas like manufacturing industries, transportation and farms. The South and the North differed in terms of cotton production and purchased of manufactured goods. This led to conflicts between the North and the South (Verne 2007).
Another economic issue that led to conflicts between the North and the South was tariffs. The countries had different views on tariffs (Verne 2007).The federal government wanted to raise tariffs for imported goods, but the North and the South had different views on the plan. The South opposed the plan as it would affect it while the North supported it. The Southerners wanted the government to maintain low tariffs as this helped maintain the cost of imported goods low. The low tariffs would help the South continue to import goods from other countries. Mainly the South depended on imported goods. Raising the tariffs would prevent citizens in the region from importing goods and this would affect their living standards. This would in turn affect economic growth in the South. In addition, farmers and planters in the South did not support the plan because it would influence the trade in the area. High tariffs would have forced the British raise the prices of manufactured goods that were imported by the south. This would make it hard for the South to continue trading with the European partners and import goods (Verne 2007).
People in the North supported the plan to increase tariffs for imported goods because it had a lot of benefits. Increase in tariffs would increase the prices of imported goods and make them expensive. This will in turn make goods produced in the North cheaper and attract Americans to buy the goods. Thus, people in the North supported high tariffs while people in the South supported low tariffs. People in the North influenced the government to raise the tariffs. The divide between the North and the South broadened and created more tension in the states. The Southern protested against tariffs of abominations and nullification. The demonstrations showed the tension in the South as people had opposing views on tariffs. People in the South feared that they will not be represented in the government well and their interests would not be addressed (Verne 2007).
The South was afraid that the North would increase its representation in the government making it dificuity for the South to participate in decision making. The North wanted to control economic policies in the country and institutions. The domination of the North in the country and control of economic policy and the Southern institutions led to tension. The factors brought tension in the region and influenced states to move from the union. The Southern decided to move from the union so as to protect the whites in the South and rights to own slaves. People in the South did not see owning slaves as immoral. They valued slaves and encouraged people to own them. People in the North had different views as they did not support slavery. They argued that the act interfered with the rights of the slave. The North tried to ensure states joining the union did not own slaves. The decision forced the South to move from the union. Slave owners in the South felt that their rights to own slaves and property were being interfered with in the union (Stampp 1991).
The difference in opinion between the South and the North led to tension in the area. Also, the contrast in the economies led to tension and civil war. The economic tension between the North and South led to political tension and in turn civil war. Thus, the socioeconomic factors contributed a lot to civil war between the South and the North (Stampp 1991).
Another factor that led to civil war between the North and South was slavery. Most people argue that slavery contributed a lot to civil war between the North and South than other factors. The North and South had different views on slavery. Slavery was common in America before the civil war (Egnal 2009).People in the South valued slaves as they provided cheap labor. This helped them cut production cost and increasing production. People in the North did not value slavery as it had negative impact on the person. They argued that it demoralized the person. The North depended on labor from immigrants. The North experienced high rate of immigrants who provided labor in the industries. The South fought hard to prevent slavery from being abolished from the region. The southerners wanted to control the federal government to prevent other states from abolishing slavery (Stampp 1991).
The Southerners were worried about the high birth rates and immigration rates in the North (Stampp 1991). This is because they thought the North would have more re-representations than the South. The North experienced high rates of immigrants before the war. People migrated from Europe and Asia to the North. This increased the population of the North and made the North more powerful (McPherson 2003). The North had the largest percentage of the population. Moreover, the North experienced high birth rates and this increased the country’s population. As the population increased, the Southerners worried about the control of the government. They thought the North will become more powerful in the government and make them loose control in the government. The North did not support slavery and they forced states to avoid slavery. The North forced states joining the Union to abolish slavery. This affected people in the South as they felt their rights were being interfered with. Instead the South decided to move from the union so as to preserve slavery and the rights of the whites (Stampp 1991).
People worried if the states joining the union would be free or slave. In 1820, the Missouri compromise was passed and it had rules that prevented slavery in the states (McPherson 2003). During the Mexican war people worried what would happen to the new states. This led to creation of the Wilmot proviso which banned slavery in the new states. The laws created to ban slavery created tension between the North and South. Majority of the people in the North did not agree with the decision. They allowed states to retain slavery as it had a lot of economic benefits. The tension increased as a result of the development of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854(Stampp 1991).
The Act created two states that would discuss the issue of slavery and free. Most states used the act to decide whether to be free or slave. The states had different views and this led to increase in tension. The growth of the abolition movement in America worsened the tension in the North and the South. The abolition movements made the North oppose slavery. The North and other states supported abolition of slavery and slaveholders. The states differed with the South. The South still maintained the idea that slavery was important and had a lot of benefits. People in the North believed that slavery was morally wrong and evil as it interfered with the rights of the slaves. The abolonists believed that all slaves should be freed and slave holders should be allowed to own more slaves. The abolonists wanted to stop slavery from spreading to other countries and from affecting the slaves. The abolonists led to increase in tension in the South as people in the South valued slavery and quoted verses from the bible to support their argument (Stampp 1991).
Later on Abraham Lincoln was elected the president in 1860.He did not support slavery as it had a lot of harm to the slaves. Lincoln passed several laws to control slavery in the country. The laws prevent slavery and slaveholders from owning slaves. This resulted to more tension in the South. The Southerners thoughts that Linconln favored the North and helped them achieve their objectives. After Lincoln was elected the president, states supporting slavery moved from the union. The states thought that they did not have enough control. Also, the states wanted to preserve slavery as it had a lot of benefits to them (Golson 2007).
After Lincoln was elected, the South adopted other measures to protect slavery. This is because the Southerners claimed the new government would make them loose control over the slaves. The Southerners argued that the federal government was not supposed to interfere with the rights of slaveholders. The government was allowed to take their property into new states. Further, the southerners stated that the federal government was not allowed to interfere with the slavery in the states. They thought that the interpretation of the tenth amendment and moving from the union would help prevent them from loosing slaves (Golson 2007).
Political issues contributed to the civil war between the North and the South. The South and the North had different views on governance. The opponents wanted the federal government to have more control. Others wanted the federal government to have minimum control. The first government was organized under the article of confederation. A total of 13 states formed the federal government. The congress confederation declared the thirteen states to be free and independent. After declaring the states to be free and independent, the federal government guaranteed the states sovereignty (Golson 2007). The federal government was not strong and other nations had to come together to help the states. The leaders helped the states solve problems. This is because the federal government was weak and was unable to make proper decisions and solve problems (Golson 2007).
The leaders came together at the constitutional convection to establish the United states constitution. The opponents argued that the constitution ignored the rights of the states and hindered them to be independent. This is because the leaders helped the states solve problems. The opponents thought that the states should have freedom to make independent decisions and act independently. Also, the states should have freedom to decide whether to seek help from the federal government or not. The states did not have freedom and this led to tension in the states. The states decided to form other measures to overcome the influence of the federal government. This resulted to nullification where the states had the freedom to make independent decisions. Also, the states decided to act unconstitutionally and have the right to rule the federal government. Most states wanted to avoid influence from the government so they had to act differently. The congress confederate did not work and this led to more tension in the area. The states and the federal government differed in terms of the powers held by the states, the authority held by the national government and the independence of the states. The differences led to more conflicts between the South and the North and this later resulted to civil war (Golson 2007).
The federal government did not agree with the decision made by the states. It denied the states the right to act unconstitutionally and rule the federal government. The states moved from the union because the nullification did not work. The North and the South differed on authority of the government. The North had more powers than the south so it controlled most activities in the country. The South did not want the North to control the state so it had to look for alternative ways. The South decided to control the government or move way from it. Historians argue that most states like the South did not want to stay in the union as they had no enough control. The states decided to move away from the union (Ashworth 1995).
The political parties in the North and South led to civil war. The tension in the South and North was evident through the political parties. The two parties in the states began to split because of the conflicts in Kansas and compromise of 1850. The parties began to split along regional lines. The Whigs party in the North formed a new party called the republican. The Republican Party fought hard to prevent slavery in the South and other states that owned slaves. People in the South did not appreciate the efforts made by the Republican Party. They argued that the party was a source of conflicts in the region. This led to tension in the South and North as people had different views on the Republican Party. People in the North appreciated the efforts made by the Republican Party in fighting slavery in the region (Ashworth 1995). The North controlled the federal government as it had high population and more powers. The political leaders in the North and South fueled the civil war. This is because the political leaders had direct views on slavery (Ashworth 1995).
Though slavery was the main cause of civil war between the North and the south, people in the South did not contribute to the civil war. People in the South were mainly farmers and relied on slavery as the source of labor. The political leaders in the region were more interested in slavery. The Political leaders in the South influenced people in the South to move from the union. This is because the political leaders did not want to loose slavery. The political leaders in the South valued slavery more than the political leaders in the North. For example, Robert Barnwell Rhett and the Fire –Eaters influenced people in the South. The political leaders argued that slavery was important to the state and it needs to be protected. They differed with other leaders who called for slavery to be abolished. Abolishing slavery could cost the country a lot. This is because people in the South depend on slavery as a source of labor. They forced the South from the union so as to protect their slavery rights. Many of the political leaders in the south owned slaves and that is why they fought hard to prevent slavery from being abolished (Ashworth 1995).
Political leaders in the North had different views. The leaders were divided about slavery. Some of the leaders supported slaver as they saw it important. Others did not support slavery. This made it dificuity for the political leaders to work together to abolish slavery and prevent conflicts. The differences led to more conflicts between the leaders. This led to tension in the North and South as the political leaders had different ideas on slavery. A small percentage of political leaders in the North worked hard to abolish slavery. A large percentage of the political leaders supported slavery (Ashworth 1995).
Conclusion
The American civil had devastating effects on citizens and the country. Many people lost their lives as a result of the civil war. Historians have provided different views on the causes of civil war. Some of the historians think the civil war was mainly caused by slavery. Others argue that the civil war was caused by slavery, political factors and socioeconomic factors. Slavery, socioeconomic factors and political factors were the main causes of the civil war between the North and the South. Slavery contributed a lot to civil war between the North and the South. People in the South valued slavery as it provided cheap labor. The South mainly relied on cotton production and cheap labor provided by slavery to maintain the plantations. The leaders in the South did not want slavery to be abolished. They fought hard to prevent slavery from being abolished. People in the North did not support slavery.
This is because the act was not morally right. The leaders encouraged states to be free and abolish slavery. The Northerners formed movements to abolish slavery in the South and other states. The difference in opinion between the South and the North led to more tension in the South and North. The South moved from the union so as to protect slavery and the rights of slave-owners. This led to civil war as the North fought to maintain the South in the union. The socioeconomic factors in the South and North contributed to civil war. The North and South had different economies. The North was mainly dominated by the industries and agricultural activities. The industries and agriculture contributed a lot to the growth of the economy in the North. Also, the country experienced high rates of immigrants from Europe and Asia and high birth rates. The South relied on cotton plantations and the plantation did not encourage economic growth. The South did not have many people and the labor force was not skilled.
Farmers in the South depend on cheap labor from the slavery. The South imported manufactured goods from Europe and other countries. It also exported cotton products to other countries and in turn imported manufactured goods. The difference in economic growth led to rise in tension in both states as the states had different views. The rise in tariffs of imported goods led to conflicts between the South and North. The South did not support rise in tariffs of imported goods as it had adverse effects on the economy. The rise in tariffs would have influenced trade between the South and European countries. It would have prevented the South from importing manufactured goods. The North supported increase in Tariff as it had a lot of benefits. It would have helped increase demand for goods manufactured in the North. The rise in tariff led to difference in ideas and increase in tension. Lastly, the political issues in the North and South contributed to the civil war. The political leaders in the South and North had different views on slavery. Some of the leaders supported slavery while others did not. The factors above led to civil war between the North and South.
Reference
Ashworth, John, Slavery, capitalism, and politics in the antebellum Republic, Volume 1(Cambridge University Press, 1995) 84
Egnal, Marc, Clash of extremes: the economic origins of the Civil War (Hill and Wang, 2009) 3
Golson, Geoffrey, A house divided during the Civil War era (ABC-CLIO, 2007) 17
Henderson, Simon, Aspects of American history. (Taylor & Francis, 2009) 54
Kennedy, David, Cohen, Lizabeth., Bailey, Thomas, the American Pageant, Volume I: A History of the American People: To 1877 (Cengage Learning, 2009) 460
McPherson, James, Battle cry of freedom: the Civil War era (Oxford University Press US, 2003) 1-907
Stampp, Kenneth, the Causes of the Civil War (Simon & Schuster, 1991)1-252
Verne, Jules, North Against South: A Tale of the American Civil War (Choptank Press, 2007)28
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