What Caused The Civil War?
“Civil War was not a mere strife for territory and dominion, but a contest of civilization against barbarism.” – Frederick Douglass. The Civil War was consist of the South vs the North. The Civil War was also known as the “War Between States”, happen in 1861 and lasted for four brutal years. Why did this happen and for a nation that should've been together? The three main causes of the Civil War between the North and the South were abusive slavery, contradicting political views, and the chaotic economy.
The first main cause of the Civil War was conflict between the North and the South about slavery. Both sides had different point of views about slavery. North was anti-slavery and the South was pro-slavery. Frederick Douglass, an abolitionist, in his speech, “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” goes on about how most people celebrate the 4th of July with freedom, but how can a black man participate if he doesn't have those rights. “To him, your celebration is a sham.” (Document G) Then, you have a southern, George Fitzhugh, stating that slaves are “the happiest, and, in some sense, the freest people in the world” (Document H). You get to see the South’s perspective about slavery thinking that slaves have a better life because they provided them with work and a home. These …show more content…
The North had railroads and manufactured goods, while the South had more slavery and agricultural goods, like cotton. (Document A) Due to the fact that the North didn't make cotton, which was sent by the South, including: rice, tobacco, and others. (Document D) Yet, North still made 91% yearly value manufactured goods. (Document B) The South thought that the North wouldn't be anything without them. The industrial within the US at that time helped cause the Civil War because the South thought they could be better off without the North which created