Blog #43 – Was the Civil War Inevitable?
It’s easy to look back from the vantage point of 150 years ago and say that the Civil War was inevitable. That there was no denying that a clash over slavery would eventually occur, that the compromises would only last so long or work so well until something else came up to shatter the delicate balance that the Northern and Southern states tried to perpetuate.
And looking back over the past ten to 15 years before the war began, events like the Wilmot Proviso, the Mexican War, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the new Fugitive Slave Law, Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott decision, and John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry all take on additional significance because with the aid of time, historians can look back and see which events were more pivotal and which ones weren’t.
And the last year before the war, 1860, so many things had to click into place for the war to happen. What if Lincoln wasn’t nominated or hadn’t won? What if there was only John Bell or Stephen Douglas to win votes in the South instead of splitting up those Union votes? Could the election have gone to the House of Representatives if there had been only three candidates?
Other questions abound when I think of the last year before the war? What if the Charleston Mercury editorial hadn’t been printed? What if President Buchanan had been stronger in resisting the secession of the first seven states? He tried to resupply Fort Sumter in January 1861 but the ship was fired upon and returned to Washington w/o resupplying Major Robert Anderson and his men at the South Carolina fort. Did Buchanan think he had the power to stop the states from seceding? Or was he just leaving the job to Abe Lincoln?
Did the Southern states actually have to leave or could they have done something else beginning in December 1860? They must have felt that working within the system of the established Constitution was not working even though that document guarantees slavery. The election of Lincoln had additional significance for these Deep South states b/c not all slave states left the Union right away (Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland and Delaware stayed, and North Carolina, Virginia, Arkansas and Tennessee left ONLY after Lincoln called for troops when Fort Sumter was bombed). Were these Deep South states trying to resist Lincoln or were the resisting his party’s anti-slavery platform? He was the first president elected since JQ Adams in 1824 that was avowedly not a Southerner or a Northerner soft of slavery, so he must have been perceived as some kind of threat.
I know there are a lot of questions here that I’ve raised, and that’s b/c I wanted you to think about the inevitability of this whole stream of events that led to the bombing of Fort Sumter. Please answer the following two questions:
1. Was there ONE thing in the time period (1846-1861) that you think impacted the start of the war more than any other event or thing? Why?
2. Which event or action in the last 16 months (1860 – 61) had the greatest impact? Why? Did this event make the Civil War inevitable or not? Why?
Due Tuesday, Dec. 4 by class time. 250 words minimum.
The Country in disunity more than ever. FIghting and arguing more than ever. The country had many issues over which it could not find an agreement. No one could make a solid compromise that would satisfy both the North and the South. Starting with Wilmots Proviso in August 1846, the “pot” of the slavery disputes started getting hotter. Then around 1848, the Missouri Compromise being replaced by popular sovereignty as the solver to slavery in a state, added more heat to it. Then in 1850 came the compromise named after the same year. This was a set of five bills, which disarmed a four year struggle between slave and free states over new Mexican territory. All so soon hit the Fugitive slave law. Unless a slave was safely in Canada or had a “white friend” of all too much kindness he was not free, telling of an escaped slave and returning him to master earned a prize. Then came “Uncle Toms Cabin” in 1852, along with the Kansas-Nebraska act. All of these complicated events made the “pot” become hotter and hotter and even the Douglas/Lincoln debates did exactly that. All arguing and fighting that was going in in the country was caused by slavery. Which caused state disunity at an incredible rate. Even if slavery was the high flame under the pot of soup, there was some of metal, in this case the economics of the country, and the lid of the pot was the States rights. And all of these factors made the soup boil like crazy, and none ever turned off the flame and so the soup kept boiling and boiling and so, since it was a very small pot, it did not take long until the soup “exploded” boom was the noise it made and the Chilisoup splattered all over a picture of Fort Sumter that hang over the stove. There was nothing Head Chef Abe or his Northern assistants could have done to prevent that.
1) I think the fact that South Carolina succeeded from the Union had the greatest impact because it set off a chain of events that ended with the beginning of the war. If South Carolina hadn’t left, it is unlikely that any of the other states would have succeeded; South Carolina was a catalyst of sorts. If None of the states succeeded there would have been no reason for Federal troops to retreat to Fort Sumter, and ergo, the Fort would not have been bombed. A war cannot be fought with only one side. If South Carolina hadn’t succeeded, there still may have been violence over the controversial issue of slavery, but it would not have been a war. It would have been a rebellion, a large scale rebellion, but a rebellion none the less. South Carolina succeeding laid the groundwork for the Confederacy and therefore a full on war.
2) The bombing of Fort Sumter had the greatest impact in the last few months before the war as it marked the point of no return for the south. The South declared war by bombing the fort, and the Union was forced to respond. Before they actually fired on the fort, there was still the chance of a bloodless peace. Lincoln did everything he could to give the south the option of retreating from the war, by refusing to resupply the fort with troops and weapons and only sending food and necessities of life, but the South disregarded this and fired on the fort sparking the war. This made the war inevitable because there was no way for the Union to respond to an attack on a Union fort other than war. Any other response would have made the Union look weak, unwilling to fight, and the South would have been emboldened and attacked again.
The civil war was inevitable. The country was on the verge of explosion. Little fights were occurring within states, and culture inclusions were just pushing it closer to the edge. People had been arguing for years whether or not slavery, which was in fact the whole cause of the Civil War, was ethical. Which, by obvious reasons, was not. The novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a book that exposed the real horrors of slavery to the world, split the country farther down the middle. Some saw the book as an exposé, others saw it as blasphemy. America was tearing at the seams, and since no written compromise could be achieved, it had to be argued in blood and violence. The book really opened America’s eyes about the sensitive subject. It wasn’t the only cause of the war, but it brought the literature front to more prominence. On the political front, the Kansas- Nebraska act, having overridden the Missouri compromise, caused the government to go bananas. . Even in the movie Lincoln, the House couldn’t even keep fighting among the elite representatives together. Nobody could make a clear or proper agreement. And we all know, a house divided cannot stand. You were pro-slavery, commonly from the south, and usually white upper-class, or Anti-slavery, a north, white mid to upper-class male, or any other race. The class gaps between these two expanded even more because in the end, money was power. John Brown used funds from the north to carry out his Harpers Ferry failure. The confederacy had their war bonds to help them along with supplies and with spirit. Overall, the fights in the government, in the economy, and in literature, brought the North and south nose to nose, waiting to see who would throw the first punch. The bombing of Fort Sumter would answer that question.
1.) The one thing that impacted the war was the entry of new states. The America had came up with away sweeping slavery under rug with the Missouri compromise. But with the entry of new states the dirt they sweep under the rug was piling up. When California decided to enter it was 15 free states and 15 slave state if California had entered it would have messed up the balance of the senate. Along with other states that wanted to enter the Union like New Mexico and Utah as a non- slave state all these states trying to enter the Union really messed the balance and added to the tension between states because the North wanted more free states and the south wanted more slave states if one side had more states it would make the other side nervous that they would try to spread their ideals.
2.) The bombing of Fort Sumter was the tipping of the scale. When the South succeeded it was a major deal but the bombing put the icing on the cake. If the south never bombed the fort then I’m pretty sure Lincoln would have found a way to peacefully pull them back into the Union. The bombing the fort made the civil war inevitable because at that point they hurt the Union so the they had to respond which started the war. And let’s say for kicks and giggles that the Union didn’t respond they would have looked weak the south at that point could have said well hey since they didn’t do anything the first time let’s do it again eventually they would probably think that they could take more land from the union.
The country did not even feel like a country at this time. So many problems and conflicts were arising that nobody could agree on anything or get anything done. And what did all of this tension finally lead to…? The Civil war. The Civil War did not just erupt randomly, but instead the tension kept building and building until eventually it all just boiled over and started something worse. I think the Kansas-Nebraska Act impacted the start of the war more than anything else. This was because “The Little Giant”, or Stephen Douglas proposed this Act as a way of solving slavery disputes. The act let the people of Kansas and Nebraska vote on slavery. This caused the Northerners to become angered because they finally thought slavery was on its way out. One of the ways they fought against this act was the development of the Republican Party, an anti-slavery party. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was one of the most momentous measures ever to pass Congress, and started the journey to the beginning of the civil war. Anti-Slavery people became more and more frustrated with it and started calling Douglass a traitor, soon moving their focus to the Republican Party. Between 1860-1861 I think the event that had the greatest impact was the election of 1860 and Lincoln’s win. People in the country at the time all had different views and this caused there to be 4 different nominated candidates. Republicans supported Lincoln over his rival William Seward because Seward seemed too radical to get votes in border states. Democrats decided to split, and Northerners picked Stephen Douglas, but Southerners “walked out” and nominated John Breckenridge because they wanted to secede. The Constitutional Union was also formed which was a group of know-nothings and Whigs who supported constitution and Union, electing John Bell who didn’t want to secede. I think this election shows that the Civil War was inevitable because even though things could have been very different if Douglas or Bell had won the election. Even if Lincoln had not won this election, there still would have been problems with anti-slavery people. The tension would not of stopped if somebody different was elected. Either way, some group of people was not going to very happy with the outcome. In this election, the disappointed was the South who finally decided that seceding was the only way. I feel that the Civil War was an event that was eventually going to happen because there were so many different outlooks and views people had on topics, which meant that not everyone could get what they wanted during that time.
I think the thing that had impacted the START of the civil war, was the election of Lincoln. Before Lincoln was elected, the southern states were already threatening to secede, and when Lincoln got elected, they went through with their promise. What had a impact on starting the civil war was all the literature about slavery, making the south get mad at people for, technically, exercising their right of free speech. The books such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, and The Narrative of Fredrick Douglas, were making the south mad at the north because “Thats not how it happened,” when Harriet Beecher Stowe, had to publish another retort to the souths accusations, that her book was fake, when it was based on actual acts that she witnessed in the south. There is probably a lot of reasons that the civil war had started, but this is, what I believe to be, the main reason.
Now on to the main event. I believe what made the war inevitable, was the election of Lincoln. Like I stated before, the south had already been threatening secession, if Lincoln was elected. This was a pretty big threat to secede from these United States, and then when they followed through with it, pretty much starting the war right there. The civil war was going to happen some point in time because, the States could not go living, while trying to balance the free and slave state to keep things fair, we first see this with the Missouri compromise. I think that the election of Lincoln wasn’t the problem, because there had been presidents that had wanted to abolish slavery, but I think it was that Lincoln was so in the middle that they knew he would get it abolished, because some people didn’t want blacks free because they didn’t want the to be their equals, these people were for Lincoln because he only wanted to give them their unalienable right, but there were the big plantation owners, and some politicians who believed that the slaves were infidels, and deserved nothing. These views, and the people who had them, were main reasons that Lincoln was pinned with the burden of having to deal with a uprising of the nation.
As much as the government tried to keep the country unified during the time of opposing views between the North and South, I think that no matter what they could have done, the Civil War would have happened in some form or another. The Civil War we know happened over slavery, but even if that particular issue was resolved, I think there would have been a Civil War no matter what, whether it was over slavery or something else. The real Civil War, I think, could not have been avoided easily based on our country’s history. Free labor started out as indentured servants, which slowly transitioned to slavery, which people liked much better. The North developed much differently than the South and had much different needs, which did not include slavery. So the slavery there slowly died out while it was still needed in the South, especially for plantation owners and farmers. The Northerners didn’t like that the South was still using slaves, and the South was mad at the North for trying to stop it. It’s not like there was some event that sparked the hatred between North and South and their ideas. It developed over a long period of time, and had lasting, devastating effects. Slavery itself had a huge part of it, but I think it was more a contest of who was right, and whoever was right had more power. Even if the issue wasn’t slavery, it all comes down to power. It could have been a battle of religions or maybe even a battle over trade. When one side feels like the underdog, all they want to do is prove is that they have just as much power, if not more, than the other side. The main problem with this is that the point of a Union is that all of its people are supposed to stick together and support each other. Unfortunately, it took a disaster of a war to show the people of America that fact.
Yes, the Civil War was inevitable due to the two vastly different lifestyles in each area, which human nature can’t fix peacefully. The major difference in terms of ideology was the issue of slavery, since the dawn of the nation slavery was an issue that never was fully addressed, and something can only be avoided for so long, and soon it will burst. Now these vastly different ideals prohibited the possibility of a commonly liked political leader, North and South both liked. Another issue was how the slowly burning fuse of the Civil War was handled, while tension became high in congress, when secession was being threatened president Buchanan neglect to address the tough issues, this starts the argument about how human nature prevents us from addressing the tough issues, human nature only allows two extreme sides and in this case pro or anti-slavery. The event that I believe really sparked the events later to become the civil war is John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. Brown instilled fear into the southerners over northern influence towards slave uprisings. This event really moved the North to being the South’s enemy. The North was seen as their biggest rival. So when secession came and sides were chosen, the fuse was starting to reach the gun powder. The spark came from the event that displayed the new Nations, saying there is no going back was the bombing of Fort Sumter. The first move was made and neither side was going to back down, the war was waged by the events at Fort Sumter.
In the time period of the pre-civil war, I believe that the one thing that affected the civil war the most was the Dred Scott decision. The Dred Scott decision was a declaration by the supreme court stating that all people born from African American decent did not have the same rights of a white man and had were not supported in the constitution. The Supreme Court also stated that Scott would have to be a slave again even though he lived on free land. This decision was one of the most pivotal moments in pre-civil war because the north 100% disagreed with this decision and they felt that blacks were supported in the constitution while the south supported this decision. This caused a he tension between the two because the Supreme Court took the South’s side of beliefs and the north felt useless in this situation. I believe that in the last 16 months before the civil war the most important thing that affected the civil war was when Lincoln said he would only send food to fort Sumter. The original problem was that the union still owned fort Sumter and the confederacy felt that they owned it. The fort was low on munitions and supplies and Lincoln had a choice to send supplies and start a war or give them the fort. Lincoln decided to only send food to the fort. This decision by Lincoln completely turned the tables on the confederacy. If they let the food go it would show a weakness in the confederacy, if they fired upon the food then not only would it start a war but they would be seen as the bad guys because they were firing upon food and people would take in in a sense of you won’t let starving men have food? This decision did make the civil war inevitable because the confederacy clearly did not want to seem weak to their people and firing upon them seemed like the only option. Lincolns turn around was sneaky but effective and the bombardment of fort Sumter started the war.
The Civil War was the most deadly battle in American History. 750,000 people lost their lives in the war (2.5% of the population). The South was always wary of the issue of slavery becoming a major issue. We can see this even during JQ Adams presidency, when the “Tariff of Abominations” was passed. The South of course did not like the excessive tariff but they were also worried that it would cause the issue of slavery to come up. When slavery did become more of a prominent issue, there was bound to be some sort of war. In the years past, I believe the event that most impacted the start of war was the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act, wrote up by Senator Stephen Douglass, was made as a result of Northerners wanting Nebraska for the Transcontinental Railroad. However, the railroad was made in the South where the Gadsden Purchase was made. Douglas then decided that Nebraska would be split into Kansas and Nebraska, where the people living in those states would choose if they would be free or slave (otherwise known as popular sovereignty). This compromise contradicted the Missouri Compromise line of 1820 (36o, 30’). Therefore, the Missouri Compromise was no more. This angered the Northerners, since they assumed that all territory there would always be free. The hatred of the K-N Act created the Republican Party which was based on hatred of slavery. The North and the South competed against each other for the ownership of Kansas; in fact, the War was already being fought in Kansas before the Civil War even started. When John Brown killed five pro-slavery men, war was started in Kansas. Also, the Lecompton Constitution which could be voted on with slavery or without (but the people already with slaves would stay in Kansas) caused much distress. Therefore, the issue of slavery was prominent in Kansas. The event during the past 16 months that caused the War was Fort Sumter. The seven confederate states of the South, which had seceded from the Union before Lincoln became president, asked that Fort Sumter be transferred into the confederacy. Lincoln was faced with quite the predicament. If he gave the Confederacy the fort, he would be recognizing the confederate states, which would cause foreign nations to reach out to the Confederacy, thus making them stronger. However, if he gave them the fort, other southern states would be more probable to stay in the nation and hopefully peace would be kept. Lincoln decided to keep the Fort in the nation. When the time came to resupply it, he sent not troops, but provisions. He warned the South of the restocking and asked them not to intervene. It the Confederates attacked, they would start the war and the North would unite to fight against them. When they attacked, the Civil War started. This event did make the Civil War inevitable because the decision of the Confederates to attack or not would determine if there would be a war or not.
I believe that the civil war was definitely inevitable. Throughout the chapters in our textbook leading up to the civil war there are certain historical events that show signs of a civil war. Although all of the periods before the actual civil war added to the tension building, I think the major thing that set off the civil war was the election of Abraham Lincoln. When Lincoln was running for presidency he was very popular in the Northern states because he wasn’t very fond of Slaves. In some of the Southern states he wasn’t even put on the ballot. He ended up winning in the end, which caused hysteria in the Southern states. They didn’t believe it was fair that Lincoln was trying to take away their economy but Lincoln knew what he was doing was right and would happen eventually. If Lincoln hadn’t been elected I think that the wait for the war would’ve went on and then when another president some day was elected he would try to do what Lincoln ended up doing. The war was inevitable, and although a lot of factors added to the cause of the war the election in 1860 set it off. When people talk about the ways we could’ve avoided war you realize how ridiculous it is. Everything added to the future of this country. Another thing that had a huge impact that helped set off the war, was the secession of the southern states. When South Carolina left the union it set off a chain reaction in the other states. These other states realized that they couldn’t stay in the union if they couldn’t have what they wanted, slaves.
1. I think that the addition of new states/territories into the union and the laws that were passed regarding slavery in these territories were at the root of the civil war. After the Mexican war, we were left with new territory and the decision whether to make them into free or slave states. The Wilmot Proviso stated that even though some of the territory acquired was below the 36’ 30 line, there would be slavery in the states gained from the Mexican war. This angered the south and made them lean more towards secession and going to war with the union. They were also angered by the Kansas-Nebraska act, which stated that Kansas and Nebraska could choose for themselves if they wanted to be free or slave states. The upset was initially in the north, but ended in the south after both states decided to be free states. The unbalance between slave and free states pushed southerners into secession and toward the civil war.
2. The bombing of Fort Sumter was definitely the official start of the civil war. It was a bold sign to the union that the confederacy was prepared to fight. Before the bombing, many citizens knew that Fort Sumter would play a major role in the start or end of the possibility of a war. When the bombing occurred, the union was forced to respond, or else they would look weak against the newly-established confederacy. Even though the union had attempted to be peaceful and only sent food and water to hungry soldiers at the Fort, the south blatantly ignored their gesture and attacked, spurring the civil war.
Whenever I think about the mid-1800s, I think about the Civil War and what would have happened if it didn’t occur. There would have been many disasters that would have occurred including the continuation of slavery for who knows how long. The quotation “all men are created equal” is used several times including The Declaration of Independence. In the 1800s the blacks were people but they weren’t given nearly as many rights as the whites did. So, I do believe that the Civil War was inevitable because of all of the fighting within the states whether to be a free or a slave state. If that weren’t resolved, then the country would have been going on with the fighting. An example of how the states were falling apart was in Kansas from the years 1854-58. There was a lot of fighting in territory because it wasn’t decided if Kansas was to become a free or slave state. The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed Kansas to decide if it were to be a free or slave state. The Kansas-Nebraska Act would override the Missouri Compromise but it would not play out well with the government. A strong example of how the country was on two different sides was when the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written. The novel showed what the true evils of slavery were. Some people supported the book and its message while others were against it. Before the Civil War started, the country was falling apart because of the many arguments since there was no stable compromise that could be achieved. As many can agree, I think that the bombing of Fort Sumter was the greatest effect on how the Civil War started. The south declared war by the bombing and the union had to respond to it and there wouldn’t be another way to respond except with war so that is how the Civil War was inevitable.
1. When president Abe Lincoln met Harriet Beecher Stowe, he exclaimed “So, you are the little woman who wrote the book that started this great war!”, and I believe along with Abe Lincoln that Uncle Tom’s Cabin played a large factor in the inevitability of the Civil War. This book about slavery and the harsh conditions it faced played a similar role to the Revolutionary War era book, Common Sense. This book was written to convince colonists to side with the patriots, and Uncle Tom’s Cabin was used with the same propaganda. It shocked many Northerners to learn about the common slave’s life, and angered the Southerners about the bad reflection it caused on their image. This book caused more people to become against slavery, and made tensions between the North and South raise to a boiling point. This book was very controversial by stating the harsh truth, and was known for starting the Civil War.
2. President Buchanan was known as a strong man, but he held no power against the Southerners who held him close by. He was controlled by them in the office, which made a large impact in the future of their country. When states started to leave the union after Lincoln was elected for the future term, Buchanan did nothing to stop their tracks. Many historians have asked why he did so, and they believe it was because he was used as a puppet by many Southerners to help their economy grow. Many citizens of America at the time wanted him to act more Jackson like, and take a bigger stance against the large problem. Jackson had been known to stop South Carolina from leaving the Union, but Buchanan did not have the power and ambition to do so. Buchanan’s actions made the war inevitable because of his failure to stop the many states, and lack of ambition to try to save the Union. If Buchanan had been able to hold up the Union just until Lincoln came to office, things might have been able to be worked out without a war. Due to bad leadership, the war became inevitable.
The election of Abraham Lincoln as President before the Civil war erupted was the event that contributed most to the beginning of the Civil War. Lincoln was the President that the South feared most. To begin with he was a northerner and was against slavery. Although Lincoln was not for the equal rights of blacks, his competitors portrayed him as a full-blown abolitionist, that which frightened and angered the South. The events previous to Lincoln’s election, such as the Dred Scott decision and the fugitive slave laws had already created extreme tension and resentment between the north and the South. The Bleeding Kansas disputes and John Brown’s assault on the armory in Harpers Ferry were all violent preludes to the Civil War. All of these events weakened the ties between the North and the South and all it took was Lincoln to be elected as President to bring the Union toppling down. The already fuming South took his election as an excuse to secede from the union. Once secession came, the war was inevitable. If Lincoln was not elected, the South would’ve gained a President that was either pro-slavery or not willing to do anything to stop it. One could argue that secession could’ve been avoided if a President favored by the South won office, and thus War would’ve been avoided. If Lincoln had not won the Presidency, slavery may have continued for much longer, but an angry South could’ve possibly cooled off after receiving their wishes for at least a little while. The election of Abraham Lincoln was the event that sparked the war more than any other event, and was the event that made the war inevitable.
My belief is that the Civil War was inevitable, certain to happen, destined to occur, bound to go through. It doesn’t matter on how you put it, in the end, it was going to happen whether we wanted it to or not. I’d say the most pressing and maybe most obvious issue in 1846-1861 was the many problems circulating slavery and the unjust actions that always seem to be surrounding it. Since the start of slavery, it has been said that it would be abolished sooner or later, and though that was the case, slavery was at its highest peak during that time. Since slavery had been around for hundreds of years prior to the 1800s, it might have had the most impact on the Civil War occurring. America was already into two different groups over this matter; people who agreed with slavery and the people who were against it.
The election of Abraham Lincoln in the last 16 months had a major impact on the inevitability of the Civil War. Abe seemed to be the tie breaker between the pro slavery and the anti-slavery groups and also set off a chain reaction. Once Abe finally won the election of 1860, many states wanted to and successfully had, seceded from the Union. This carved an even deeper gauge in America’s still growing wound. Though I do consider the election of Lincoln very important, I don’t this was the exact thing that made the Civil War inevitable. I believe that even if Lincoln had not been elected, there would have been someone else to come along taking on the role of would-have-been Lincoln and also have taken radical steps towards ending slavery and creating and stabilizing the equality between all humans, no matter the race, gender or age. Someone else would have been elected and would have taken the steps towards the end of slavery, and in doing so, the Civil War as well.
The one thing that really mad the southerners mad enough to secede and go to war was the elcetion of president Lincoln it not only proved to them that they didnt matter in government or have a say but also that the north had the power and leverage to take away slavery which was a very unnerving thought to south that at a moments notice the “northerner’s government” could pull the plug on slavery they’d already tried with the unconstitutional laws and and acts against the south. The worst thing for the country was President Buncannan stopping all attempts to stop the prevention of slavery and only allowing restrictions with slavery to be made with territories. Then Lincoln is elected and they immediatly knew this radical anti slavery presidentl would try with alll his power to take away these new acts as soon as he enetered office which is promptly what he did.
The south started war to fend off agianst the government before they really tried to make efforts to eradicate slavery from the whole country not just the north and territories. Its like tring to stop change the civil war and the end of slavery were enevitable because this counrty and its independence know matter how hypocriticly it was built it still hinted the eventual end of slavery if not because of its moral indecencies but because it was the remnents of england which was something they wanted to be diffrent from. The ciovil war was inevitable becasue as Abe said a house divided cannot stand and if a side could not win thhrough words then war was the next logical to decide what this country would be.
1. The Civil War occurred because the United States was a nation divided in its ideals. The north and south held conflicting moral standards when it came to slavery, an issue that Congress had many times prior tried to compromise on. The government was constantly working to make equal the influence of the free states and the slave states, as shown by the Missouri Compromise, which created the state of Maine as a free state and accepted Missouri as a slave state, as well as defining the 36°30’ boundary line. Then, in 1846-1848, the Mexican War occurred with the Americans ultimately victorious and gaining land in the present-day southwestern United States, notably the California territory, from the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. California was an anomaly in that it was bisected by the 36°30’ line, so if it was accepted into the union, what type of state would it be? This dilemma led to the question: Do we want slavery to continue to spread? The land acquired from the Mexican War brought on an entirely new set of debates that further divided the United States in it ideas and was one of the most major events that impacted the start of the war.
2. In the sixteen months prior to the beginning of the Civil War, the United States was in a state of turbulence that would lead to the bloodiest war in history. In reality, it was the election of Abraham Lincoln to presidency that set off the chain of evens that led to the secession of the Deep South and the beginnings of the war. Lincoln’s election made the south go through with their threat and secede from the Union, something that Lincoln was not going to be willing to accept. By nature, Lincoln’s election set forth the idea that the people of the north wanted the south to change, and even if the Civil War did not happen at the time it did, Lincoln’s election would have set a precedent of division amongst the north and south.
1. It is hard to pick one specific event that was the pivotal stepping stone in which made the Civil War inevitable. However, if I personally had to choose what had impacted the start of the war more than any other event or thing, I would choose the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. It completely overturned the Missouri Compromise which had kept the country from turning into itself for years because it kept the balance of free to slave states equal. However when the Kansas-Nebraska Act was made, it allowed for the new state to decide whether or not it would become a free or slave state. I mean just look at what happened in Kansas. The people rushed to the voting polls to try to tip the ballot in favor of either a free or slave state. This Act along with the incident with John Brown, subsequently led to the civil war that erupted in Kansas. Political figures now had to worry about the balance of power in the political offices being tipped to either side. Some thought that because of this Act, slavery would be allowed again in some Northern states and that it would spread. Others thought that if more free slave states were created, then slavery would be abolished. This is was very problematic and made the sectional tensions even worse. The controversy over the Act split the Democratic and Whig parties to give rise to the Republican Party which advocated freedom of slaves and was a representative of the north while Democrats became a representative of the south.
2. Lincoln winning the presidential election of 1860 probably had the greatest impact within the 16 months leading up to the Civil War. Southern leaders feared that Lincoln would stop the expansion of slavery so this triggered the move for the southern states to try secession. I think that since Lincoln was elected and with all the factors that tied into making the Civil War, that yes his election made the Civil War inevitable. He was Republican and southerners didn’t like that. They feared that with them already becoming the minority in the House, that with him as president, they would lose slavery overall. So the south tried to secede as a means to keep slavery alive and they didn’t realize how much the North/Republicans would try to maintain a Union.
War may never be an answer, but it is always an option. In a perfect world, South Carolina would not have seceded from the union, people would be fine with equal rights between Blacks and Whites, and everything will be dandy. In reality, when Lincoln became president, it took a few months before South Carolina decided to leave the Union. South Carolina started a butterfly effect when it left, because ten states shortly followed. If South Carolina had not seceded, there would be outbreaks of battles all over the country, which may have led to a civil war. I do think the Civil War was inevitable mainly because tensions were so high between the South and North. Even if Douglass beat Lincoln for presidency, or states did not secede, war would eventually break out. The bombing of Fort Sumter was the last straw to try and prevent a civil war. On April 12, 1861, the Southern army bombed Fort Sumter, which was an army base in South Carolina. Lincoln tried to respond peacefully without any bloodshed, but the South ignored Lincoln’s call for peace and resumed attacking. Even though a lone confederate horse was the only victim who died at the battle, the overall effect was much bigger. The South won control of Fort Sumter and later seceded, thus sending our nation into a civil war. As any kindergarten teacher will tell you, quitters never win. South Carolina was the first state to “quit” from the union, followed by ten others. The Battle of Fort Sumter and South Carolina seceding are two of many reasons why the Civil War was inevitable.
One thing that affected the start of the war was most definitely slavery. When it all comes down to it, slavery was almost the sole reason for the war.
This is because no matter what happened, such as the Wilmot Proviso or an anti-slavery President, the South was always worrying about what would happen with slavery, and whether Congress had the power to abolish it completely. They thought they relied on slavery, and so they didn’t want to let it go. The same thing happened when the North thought that they could get rid of slavery without much fighting; they thought they could abolish it with laws. With the Missouri Compromise, they thought it was a good start to getting rid of slavery. But when Congress decided it was null and void and years, they got nervous and began to think slavery would spread out west, and maybe even into the North.
So tensions were rising on both sides, each worrying about what a new law would do not because of what the law said, but how the law affected slavery.
I think that what had the greatest impact was the fact that President Buchanan didn’t do anything about slavery, and just let it be. Anything that would happen, such as uprisings or rebellions, he wouldn’t do anything and so then people thought they had more freedom. This is because basically, President Buchanan started a chain reaction. When the South discovered that they could get away with the attack of Fort Sumner, they decided they could get away with much more. So they felt freedom to do whatever they wanted, and without repercussions. They felt the President was weak and wouldn’t punish them; and so without the fear of being punished, no law could stop them.
This made the Civil War inevitable because after winning and attacking Fort Sumner, the South was feeling triumphant and only war could crush their souls. After the first spark of an uprising has begun, it’s hard to snuff it out without igniting it instead. So the South went into the war with high egos and a little bit of an advantage after Fort Sumner. They thought since they won Fort Sumner, they would win other battles. They felt that slavery would not be abolished, and so they thought they had nothing to lose. The North was scared after what happened at Fort Sumner, and so they decided to take action before the South got out of hand. If the North hadn’t attacked the South after they attacked the North, the South might have gotten even more of an advantage.
I believe that the publication of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin in March of 1852 impacted the start of the war more than any other event that occurred between 1846 and 1861. Somewhat infuriated by the Fugitive Slave Law, Stowe had depicted the wickedness of the inhumane institution of slavery by describing various cruel events such as the splitting of families. Thousands of copies of Uncle Tom’s Cabin were sold the first year, and the copies were soon sold in the millions as the novel was being translated into a variety of different languages. The tale of Uncle Tom inspired many northern youths to fight in the Civil War as “Boys in the Blue”. Abraham Lincoln had even said to Stowe in 1862, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.”.
In my opinion, Abraham Lincoln being elected as president in 1860 was the event that served as the prime impact for starting the war (in the 16 months before the Civil War). Many critics and enemies of Lincoln at the time claimed that Lincoln should not have been elected president, as over sixty percent of the nation (popular votes) at the time voted for an alternate candidate. Secession of the southern states may have been delayed or even prevented if Northern-Democratic candidate Stephen Douglas, rather than the Republican Lincoln, had been elected, as he was an avid supporter of popular sovereignty and did not promote ideas of antislavery like Lincoln had. The south had also hated the Republican Party at the time (Abraham Lincoln had only received 1.5% of Virginia’s popular votes, the state of the south with the most Lincoln supporters).
1. The Civil War started over the main issue of slavery but look deeper and you can clearly see the spark being that would ignite the civil war being lit in 1854 with the Kansas Nebraska Act which gave the new states the right to vote on slavery The real issue occurred in Kansas where pro slavery Missourians began to pour into the state to help force it to be slave..” Problems led to violence and the fighting that occurred led it to be called “Bleeding Kansas.” The fight even erupted on the floor of the senate when antislavery proponent Charles Sumner was beat over the head by South Carolina’s Senator Preston Brooks. This act got northerners and southerners heads boiling and I am very surprised the Civil War didn’t start five years earlier.
2. This is obvious Abraham Lincoln’s election the Civil War was inevitable there on after because South Carolina had spoken out saying they would secede if Lincoln was elected and its very obvious what Lincoln was going to do if that happened it was the only thing he could do declare war though he never literally declared war it still happened. He considered the southern states to be part of the Union and simply in rebellion against the lawful government. Not too mention it was The confederacy that attacked the Union not the other way around so it was inevitable the war was going to happen where people liked it or not even if the past events never occurred slavery would have been abolished in the near future with the industrial revolution and rapidly changing technology the south wouldn’t just say hey alright no more slavery, if the north was going to abolish slavery it would have to be by war.
During the 1846-1861 Time period there were many things that happened that lead to the start of the civil war. All the small things added up to a big problem. Every little thing that happened throughout the country caused arguments and disputes. The country was slowly edging down the road to disaster. The outcome of the civil war became inevitable. As many people say, if it didn’t happen then, it would have happened later. All the compromises that were made could be compared to a band aid. A band aid stops a cut from bleeding, but if the band aid falls off, you need to find a new one. This was also the case with slavery. Once one compromise didn’t seem to work well, they tried to come up with a new one. They were all just temporary solutions to the ongoing problem, and they all caused many disputes. Some however impacted the start of the war more than others. One major problem that impacted the war more than any other was the entry of new states. This impacted the creation of many of the compromises which upset the nation including the Missouri compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska act. The country had an even amount of slave states as Free states creating a balance in the senate. Adding additional states was bound to upset this balance, causing one side to dominate. If there were more slave states, then the majority of the thing that passed through the senate would favor the south and vice versa. This created much unrest amongst the people, and it also created the problem of having to try to balance the slave and Free states. Also this created a rivalry between the north and south who both wanted new states to join their ways which was seen In Kansas when they voted for the state to be either slave or free. Many things also happened during the months before the war. The event that made the war completely inevitable was the attack on fort Sumter. This was the point when the south went too far and made the war a reality. If the south hadn’t attacked the food supplies, then the war would not have started when it did. The south had had a choice whether to fire or not and they chose to do it. At that point they had hurt the Union, and so the union had to respond to it. If they didn’t, then the union would look weak and the south would keep attacking and taking things from the union thinking that it wasn’t a big deal. If this event had not have happened there may have been a small chance for Abraham Lincoln to peacefully pull the Union back together and peacefully and slowly solve the issue. However; since they fired this chance of not going to war was dissolved into thin air.
Question 1: There was not one event in particular that directly impacted the start of the Civil War. All of the events that happened pre-Civil War were all brought upon by the sectionalism in the North and the South and the drastic difference in opinion on the major issue of slavery. If the tension between the North and the South was only great enough to cause only one major event to occur, then the tension would not have been enough to start a war in the first place. Therefore, one key event would not have been enough to start the Civil War, so there is not one event that was dramatically more important than the rest.
Question 2: The election of Abraham Lincoln was the event in the last 16 months leading up to the Civil War that had the greatest impact on the succession of the southern states, and therefore the greatest effect on starting the War. Lincoln’s election held the significance of tearing the country in half while trying to keep it whole. The South felt that they had a true Northerner in the White House, and that their economic stability was in the hands of someone who was plotting against them. Southerners feared that they would become helpless to the power of Washington if an abolitionist was in the White House, which led to their so-called “fight for states’ rights”. Although Lincoln was not plotting against the South, he was not an abolitionist, and he was not abusing his power as the president, the South felt that they were threatened by President Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln’s presidency made the Civil War inevitable, because Lincoln as president made the South worry for their rights. They feared for their right to own slaves and therefore their economy, which, they felt, was being threatened by the president’s position on slavery. The South felt separated from the national government, and felt the need to create a government for themselves in order to uphold their way of life. This idea led to the secession of the southern states. The tension between the newly-founded Confederate States of America and the United States was too great to result in anything but a war if America wished to be united again.
Hello fellow American citizens, you all know what the Civil War is right? Everyone thinks it was just about abolishing slavery but it was also a fight for States Rights. The South thought that if the North took away slavery; there goes the economy of the North and South, and without slavery, no cotton, and mad Southerners. The Civil War was an attempt to stop this madness. If the war did not happen then, it would have had happened within the next few years because of disunity with the regions. The one thing that I believe was the powder to the gun of the Civil War was the publishing of Uncle Toms Cabin. It portrayed the cruelty of slavery, it was written by a WOMAN, and the WOMAN was BLACK. Those characteristics of this woman made “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” as big of a success as it was. Some well agree and some well disagree but that is life, for my perspective, the South had few fears; the emancipate of slavery, and Lincoln becoming President. Lincoln’s win for Presidency was huge for the Union and terrible for the South. Lincoln had one goal in mind and that was to abolish slavery but not touch it in the states that its already in(he kept his word…sike.) Either way the Civil War would have happened sooner or later. Thank you for the time you spent to read this, hallelujah…
One thing that impacted the start of the Civil War more than any other event from 1846-1861 was the Fugitive Slave Law. The law required the North to at least comply with slavery and help it remain instituted. The law also denied slaves the right to testify for themselves and the right to a jury. This resembles the Admiralty Courts implemented by Britain, and was one of the things America was created to prevent. The Judges were basically bribed because they were paid ten dollars to send a Black to the South, and only five dollars to keep them in the North. The Fugitive Slave Law also increased traffic on the Underground Railroad. Personal Liberty Laws passed by many Northern States denied jails and officials the right to enforce the law. This enlarged the issue over State’s rights, a major cause of the Civil War. The South was actually hurt more by this law because the North got California as a free state and unified against the Fugitive Slave Law, while all the South got was a poorly executed law. The law unified the North because it pushed many moderates to the anti-slavery side, and the law also helped with the forming of the Republican Party in 1856.
The event from 1860-1861 that made the Civil War inevitable was the secession of South Carolina. While South Carolina wasn’t the most populous of the slave states, it is important that it was the first to secede. It had threatened secession before during in 1832, and had continued to pose radical stances on various issues. This gave South Carolina power amongst the other Deep South states, but South Carolina needed their support too. As James L. Petigru said “South Carolina is too small for a republic and too large for an insane asylum.” Its secession provoked seven states to leave as well. South Carolina’s secession was also important because it had three forts in Charleston. The troops relocated to Fort Sumner but remained under Union control. When Lincoln wouldn’t turn over the Fort to the Confederacy, the ensuing Confederate bombardment started the war. South Carolina’s secession made the Civil War inevitable because, as Lincoln would say, “A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure; permanently half slave and half free.” South Carolina took its support and left the House to try and stand. Other supports were removed and the House would inevitably fall in on its self into war.
1) The thing that impacted America to the point of a Civil War was the issue of slavery. It was on everyone’s mind and no one could stop talking about it. It seemed that all activity had halted because everyone was so focused on whether to abolish, restrain or preserve slavery. The North and the South could not seem to come up with a compromise because their opinions were so strong and contradicting. The tension that was caused by this disagreement about slavery made tensions rise and made people anxious and many times violent. The amount of tension and violence continued to escalate leading up to the Civil War and there was no apparent solution to stopping the madness. The opinions of slavery, whether they were pro or against, were spread throughout the country in an almost frantic matter, with radical books being published and passionate speeches being made for the public.
2) The event that pushed America over the edge into an all out war was the attack of Fort Sumpter. It showed that the South would go to the point of attacking an army base with troops instead of public uprisings to defend slavery. Whether it was a full out war or a large series of violent protests from the South, violence was inevitable. The government had to solutions to appeal both the North and the South with the little amount of time they had. The tensions were too great and the opinions too strong. The general mindset of the people was fiery and was not prepared to settle the issues in a peaceful and timely manner. They wanted their way now, and violence seemed the only way to get it.
1) I don’t know if there was exactly one thing that influenced the entire Civil War. It was more a lot of little things adding up and then there was a last straw. Personally, I beleive one event that did have a major impact in a stepping stone to the Civil War was the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854. The Senator of Illinois, Stephen Douglas, proposed this as a way of solving the slavery dispute. He wanted to split the Nebraska territory into the Kansas and Nebraska territories. They would find make the states free or slave based on popular sovereignty so the people of Kansas/Nebraska could vote on slavery. This made a lot of Northerners mad because they were under the impression that slavery was on a decline but now there would be more slave than free states. From this decision the Republican Party sprouted up and was an anti-slavery party. This just increased already present tensions between the North and South which would eventually lead to the Civil War.
2) An event that had the most impact in starting the Civil War was the Battle of Fort Sumter. In the last few months before the civil war began southern states were seceding to the Confederacy and Lincoln was desperately trying to keep the Union intact. As the Confederacy grew the seceded states took control of many forts within their borders and when Lincoln officially came into office very few remained, one of them being Fort Sumter. Unfortunately, the fort only had supplies that would last for only a few more weeks. For lack of better words- Lincoln was in a pickle. He concluded that he would send only provisions to the fort, not reinforcements and notified South Carolina before this. But on April 12, 1861 Confederate soldiers opened fire on the fort and initiated the start of the Civil War. The Southern victory reassured states unsure about secession, one of them being Virginia. In a way this event did make the Civil War inevitable because if not the Battle of Fort Sumter something else would have initiated it. As Lincoln believed the nation wasn’t going to be able to go on as half free and half state so eventually something was going to happen that decided on one or the other.
1. Lincoln’s election – and subsequently South Carolina’s succession – was the biggest turning point towards war. Southern states were already enraged by Lincoln running at all. They felt that they and their livelihood were being threatened. In some ways, they were right – Lincoln made it clear that he only wanted to stop slavery in places where it had not yet stretched, but expanding slavery was their main objective, and they needed to take slavery to the new states because of heightened awareness of land shortage and soil exhaustion. Lincoln did not even appear on the southern ballots, yet he won anyway. An enraged South Carolina seceded in December of 1860; declaring its independence from the United States and from President Lincoln. This started a chain reaction, and in a month six more states had joined South Carolina in secession. Although Lincoln’s presidency was likely the best thing in the long run, it triggered the first seven states of secession – the end of the beginning.
2. The battle at Fort Sumter was when the Civil War became an actual war. Before Fort Sumter, there was still the lingering hope that the country could go on – although divided as it was – without the death that was sure to come if the country turned to war. Even Lincoln made his attempts to dispel the South from beginning to fight, knowing that it would be disaterous – which it was. While there was yet to be a battle, the naïve hope for peace could remain. After Fort Sumter, however, this figment of home-free peace was shattered by the gunshots of the southern militia. From thereafter, the war was inevitable. The North didn’t have any choice but to return fire, and so the war began.
I think that the event that had the most impact from 1846-1861 was the secession of North Carolina from the Union. Although the states had been talking of secession, North Carolina’s secession set a precedent that many other states soon followed. If North Carolina had not seceded, it it very likely that the states that followed North Carolina would not have seceded or would have seceded much later. The first state to secede would take the majority of the fall if the confederacy did not succeed, so it was much easier later states to follow suit. Although these states may have still seceded, if North Carolina had not decided to secede, their secession would most likely have been delayed for months or even years. After North Carolina seceded, four more states decided to secede in under one month.
I believe that the most significant event that occurred in the sixteen months preceding the war was Lincoln’s election. Lincoln’s was elected with just 40% of the popular vote, with his name not even appearing on ten southern states’ ballots. Although Lincoln only wanted to stop the spread on slavery, Southern newspapers and propagandists made it seem as if Lincoln’s election would completely outlaw slavery and thus posed a huge threat to all southerners. Even though the majority of southerners were not slaveowners, they were also uneducated and therefore blindly agreed with the views of the the slaveowners and propagandists in the south. Lincoln’s election pushed many Southerners over the edge to secession, but I still think that secession would have occurred even if Lincoln had not been elected. Although secession may have occurred much later in our history, I believe that it was inevitable and Lincoln’s election only served as a catalyst.
1. The Civil War was inevitable, and many things contributed to the eventual conflict. One thing from that time period that especially accelerated sectional tensions and brought about the start of the Civil War was John Brown’s raid. Slavery had always been existent in America, and slavery had always caused disagreement among those who were affected by slavery, or those who cared about the issue of slavery for political or religious reasons. John Brown’s raid brought slavery to the attention of all Americans. The raid didn’t address slavery economically or politically, but morally. John Brown’s raid was one of a few things that showed Americans a different reason to fight against slavery, and inspired many indifferent Americans to pick a side. Americans may have disagreed about whether John Brown was a martyr or a murderer, but their eager and passionate response to the raid was the same across the states. Americans became more united within their own sections, and more hateful towards the other. Many Northerners decided that slavery was in fact immoral. Southerners on the other hand saw the raid as a security threat to their rights as slaveholders. John Brown’s raid made it clear that something would have to be done to settle these differences.
2. In the sixteen months before the Civil War, the event that had the most impact on the war was Lincoln’s election as president, which did make the war inevitable. The fact that Lincoln’s name didn’t even appear on Southern ballots clearly shows the South’s feelings about having a “Black Republican” president. Lincoln’s opposition to the expansion of slavery was simply unacceptable to Southerners, who held no hesitation when contemplating secession. Sure enough, seven southern states seceded before Lincoln’s inauguration. Lincoln’s election as president made southern secession inevitable, which in turn made the Civil War inevitable. Though Lincoln succeeded in saving the Union, his election to the presidency ultimately destroyed it.
I think the Civil War of 1861 was inevitable. It could have started at any time. I don’t think there was one thing between 1846-1861 that impacted the start of the war, but rather a combination of the things happening as far back as colonization. Things like the start of tobacco and other crops that started the dependency on slave labor, or maybe the civil war wouldn’t have been a fight for slavery but the rights of Native Americans. People will always have discomfort with others views and fight that their opinion is right; it’s why we have politicians. In addition to the many things impacting the start of the Civil War, I think the presidential election of 1860 was most influential. I don’t think it would have mattered who won the election; if Douglas or Bell had won Northerners and abolitionists would have been the ones in upheaval. The Civil War would have happened no matter who won the presidency, either way someone would have been unhappy, and the people would be in deadlock of fighting for what they thought was right. On a narrowed down aspect the Kansas-Nebraska act and the Wilmot Proviso were major factors in provoking the war. Both laws would have further opened the doors on a long hallway of slavery; the Northerners against it wanted to quickly slam it shut for good. The laws agitated the North who in return agitated the South. The two cranky kids eventually turned to blows to solve the conflict at hand. As nice as peace everywhere sounds, it’s natural human nature to quarrel and disagree. This great country of our was just on its course of life; the Civil war was one of many of the quarrelsome stops on the road.
No doubt was the Civil War inevitable. It was a complex war that culminated due to various causes. Many factors like the Gadsden Purchase, the California Gold Rush, American literature, the Dred Scott Decision, presidential elections, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act all led to the start of the Civil War. I think that all of these events were impacted by and can be boiled down to one thing: slavery, especially in regards to its expansion westward. All of these factors have a connection with slavery and interconnect to bring forward the inevitable American Civil War. The California Gold Rush began in 1848 when gold was discovered, and by 1849 California had enough white Americans to be admitted as a state. However, California split the Missouri Compromise line for slave or free state, so the government and the people were unsure of how to admit California. By the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted as a free state, but it gave new states the rights to choose freedom or slavery. Basically, it nullified the Missouri Compromise. The Gadsden Purchase of 1853 granted land west of Texas and north of Mexico to the United States, and disputes between the North and South occurred in regards to where to place a transcontinental railroad. The North wanted it to run from Omaha to Sacramento, while the South wanted it to travel from Houston to Los Angeles through the new flat land apart of the Gadsden Purchase. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, proposed by Democrat Stephen Douglas, was a solution for the slavery issue for new states, but it sparked more North vs. South tension and the formation of the Republican Party. It incited several years of civil war between proslavery and antislavery forces in Kansas, The Dred Scott decision was a sad day for slaves when it addressed that slaves have no rights and that Congress has no rights to outlaw slavery in any part of the U.S. Finally, American literature sparked disputes between the North and the South. Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin caused many disagreements and differences between both the North and South. All of these factors were a prelude to the national Civil War.
Also, I think the election of 1860 especially had the greatest impact in kick-starting the commencement of war because Lincoln’s election as president kick-started the secession of the Southern states, beginning with South Carolina. His campaign also sparked the spreading of information about his values. The South thought Lincoln valued abolishing slavery altogether, but Lincoln really just wanted to restrict its expansion westward and leave it the same where it already existed. In 1861, seven states had seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America. With no intention of returning without a fight, this election and secession, along with many other factors, made the Civil War inevitable.
1. At the time of 1846-61 there were a lot of tensions building between the South and North. It is hard to say which event impacted the start of the war, more so than other events. It is very hard to say since the South and North had been separating more and more ever since the birth of the Nation. And then in the15 years before the Civil War things just began rattling off, events such as the Wilmot Proviso, the Mexican War, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the new Fugitive Slave Law, Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott decision, and John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry. The Mexican War led to new territories which tore the North and South apart deciding what do to with them, slavery or not. And then you have the Wilmot Proviso banning any slavery in territories, this scares the South a bit fearing it might lead to complete the abolition of it. You got Stephen Douglas and the Kansas-Nebraska Act letting the states to decide to be slave or not even though they are above the slave free line, this increases pressure on North and makes it seem that slavery will never be disbanded, riling up politicians such as Abraham Lincoln himself. And so on until all these events sort of completely tear the North and South apart leading to Civil War.
2. In the last 16 months before Civil War the event that probably had the most impact on the war beginning was the election of Abe Lincoln. Lincoln’s victory made for instant secession, the South had been stirring for quite the time, and Lincoln’s win was the last straw, regardless of what Lincoln believed or promised, he was a republican and that was not what the South wanted. The South at this time would not compromise they were through, there secession made the Civil War inevitable itself.
The civil war was purported to be started by many factors. These include the Dred Scott Decision, the Kansas Nebraska Act and Uncle Tom’s Cabin. The event or events that started the Civil War was the repealing of the Missouri Compromise.
The Missouri Compromise was the start of it all. It outlined the separation of the North and South at the 36030’ line. This invisible line separated the North and the South in a literal sense, and would be the approximate separation line during the civil war. The Missouri Compromise had many long lasting effects.
The Missouri Compromise sparked a flame under both parts of the country over the debate over slavery. It also forced both sides to admit that there was a problem about slavery and something had to be done. The Missouri Compromise made Congress realize the importance of keeping the balance in the Legislative branch, or one group would outrun the other with new laws. After it was made, the Civil War had become inevitable as both sides would not stop until slavery was either outlawed or legalized.
Many laws were made regarding the Missouri Compromise, including the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Wilmot Proviso. The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed the people of the state to choose whether the territory whether they should be pro or anti-slavery. Not only did this go against the Missouri Compromise, the act upset the balance in Congress and led to Bleeding Kansas, where many men fought over the idea of freedom and slavery.
The Wilmot Proviso also came about through the denial of the Missouri Compromise, because it stated that any territory from the Mexican War would ban slavery. The North loved the proviso, while the South hated, and because of it, tensions grew. Ignoring the compromise has led to horrible effects leading to the civil war.
I hope to end my blog by saying that I don’t believe that the Compromise was perfect, or that we shouldn’t have tried to change it. What I believe is true is that because of the fight for slavery, we changed and repealed the Missouri Compromise, and in effect, made the Civil War inevitable for the future to come.
1) I cannot really choose the big thing that led up to the civil war. But the two biggest things that I think contribute to the cause of the bloodiest war in American history was when South Carolina seceded and the other being John Bown taking that warehouse trying to insight a slave rebellion. But I’m only going to elaborate on one. When South Carolina seceded, that was a breaking point. Those Southern bastards crossed the line. In other words it was the first domino to fall in a chain reaction of seceding states. Like Carolyn said- if Carolina didn’t leave most likely the other states would just start dropping out willy nilly. And on top of that, when all the remaining Northern troops fled to the safety of Fort Sumter, the Confederates decided to shell the place like crazy. It was the kinda prequel to the first punch thrown in the Civil War.
2) The biggest event that took place in the months leading up to the civil war has got to be the spliting in the Democratic house. The Southern Democrats didn’t like the candidate for their party: Stephen Douglas. But they hated him when he went out and supported the Dred Scott case. This was when the southern democrats picked John Brekenridge (the V.P) to run for the south. For that election, each vote for Brekenridge by the state and the people was considered a secession vote. Brekenridge won all of the states that would eventually secede from the union, but still lost to Lincoln 180 electorals to 72.
I think that Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the most important in the act of starting the war more than anything else. I believe this because the book had truth to its stories because the author had known the life in which lives live. The display of the truths about slavery in a book gave many more people knowledge into the subject and caused many more people to begin to want the abolition of slavery. Uncle Tom’s Cabin gave the common American insight into how bad of a practice slavery really was. The book also angered the south because it revealed so much about their practice that they did not want the common person to know. They claimed it as farfetched stories combined to make an interesting book. I think that the election of Abe Lincoln was the event with the greatest impact because his thoughts on slavery were very displeasing to the Southerners. I think that this had a huge role in causing the Civil War because the southerners believed that Lincoln would immediately abolish slavery even though he stated that he wouldn’t on multiple occasions. Lincoln’s election increased the inevitability because the people in the south automatically assumed that he would do the worst possible things for them and their communities; they jumped the gun and only thought of what was the worst that could happen. This fear of what Lincoln would do with the southern lifestyle definitely increased the inevitability because it caused anger in the southerners, which they thought to be legitimate. The southerners were thrust into an aggressive rage by the election and they wanted things to be changed.
The civil war was definitely inevitable. I think it is obvious that the United States could not have gone on peacefully without some sort of issue with slavery. Because the Northerners were not as dependent on slaves, I think it is also obvious that they were the ones that wanted to end slavery. Of course there were more specific reasons that caused the civil war. Like John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry. This was definitely one event that impacted the start of the war. John Brown’s raid was supposed to encourage slaves to stand up against their masters, and fight for their freedom. Unfortunately, things did not exactly work out as planned, and John Brown was convicted and sentenced to death for insurrection, treason, and murder. But it deeply furthered the division between the north and south. John Brown became a symbol in the fight to abolish slavery. Brown’s raid basically made the south become much more uneasy.
I think the event that had the greatest impact was the bombing of Fort Sumter. This was THE event that made the civil war totally inevitable. It was even the last event that happened before the civil war began. After Fort Sumter was bombed, Abraham Lincoln sent supplies to the fort, but South Carolina troops saw this as a threat, and started attacking those troops. Abraham Lincoln had no choice but to fight back. Therefore, the Civil war was absolutely inevitable.
1. The event that caused the start of the civil war was the election of Abe Lincoln as the president of the United States of America. Abraham Lincoln never initially intended on abolishing slavery inside of the current states it was being used in. His only plan was to stop the expansion of slavery westward and to grant African Americans natural rights (not social rights). Yet, when he was elected the south would not tolerate Lincoln’s emancipation of slavery and had to go about and make their own nation. Eleven southern states seceded from the Union staring with South Carolina, making the Confederate States of America. Lincoln’s belief to have the same inalienable rights as whites was intolerable by the southern sates, and divided the country in half. Had Lincoln not been elected the Civil war would have been evitable.
2. The action in the last 16 moths that started the Civil War was the Attack on Fort Sumter. The confederate forces in South Carolina demanded the surrender of the union’s Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor. Garrison the commander of the fort Anderson refused. On April 12, Confederates attacked the Sumter. Prior to this Lincoln had tried to reach out peacefully a number of times to the south. Their attack basically said , “We are now going to attack you.” The battle caused no casualties, aside from one horse most likely named Midnight-Storm, it inevitably caused the Civil War between the United States and the Confederate states of America.
I think the event at Harper’s Ferry with John Brown’s raid impacted the inevitability of the civil war the most. John Brown was already conceived by most of America as a crazy, violent abolitionist, because of when he and his sons hacked five pro-slavery men to death. But his goal in raiding Harpers Ferry was to supply slaves with weapons and have them overthrow their masters. His plan failed because of Robert E. Lee’s army stopping his men and because their wasn’t a whole lot of support from slaves. But even though his plan failed, I think that the southern states still viewed this as event that they could use as ammunition to start a war. And many abolitionists were against violence and didn’t support John Brown’s raid, i.e. Fred Douglass. I think that the election of Lincoln as president that happened in the last 16 months also made it more inevitable. Lincoln was anti-slavery, from the north, and was proud of what he believed in. He also made it very clear that he wanted to get rid of the institution of slavery. Also, I think it is funny that he wasn’t even on the ballot in some of the southern states. I think that southern states seceding made no difference in if civil war would happen. It might have made civil war happen sooner than if they didn’t secede. But Americans knew that the issue of slavery was a messy one, they didn’t like it, but I think they accepted it.
1) The book Uncle Tom’s cabin had the greatest impact on the start of the war from 1846-1861. It was published in 1852, right when tensions over slavery were high, and exposed the horrors of slavery through the eyes of a slave. It was highly praised and wildly popular in the North and in the United Kindom and in its first year in publication, 300,000 copies were sold. But in the South, it was unpopular and it was said that it was dramatized and not true. The reason the book served such a large purpose in jump-starting the civil war was because it opened up the eyes of people who were not directly exposed to slavery. People realized that slavery needed to end, and it needed to end now.
2) The election of Abraham Lincoln had the greatest impact on the start of the war from 1860-1861. His anti-slavery views are what made the South believe that they needed to leave the Union. Secession leaders in the South convinced Southerners that having a Republican in the White House would prevent slavery from expanding into new territories and would wipe out slavery all together where it already existed. Even before Abraham Lincoln was elected or even nominated, Southern secession supporters decided that if any Republican were elected president, they would immediately want their state to secede. This also happened to make Lincoln’s job increasingly difficult, having to deal with slavery on top of a portion of the US leaving and wanting to go to Civil War. Guess there was no time for an inaugural party.
1. Was there ONE thing in the time period (1846-1861) that you think impacted the start of the war more than any other event or thing? Why?
a. In my opinion, a major factor in the sparking of the civil war was the creation of books such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin and The impending Crisis of the South. These books questioned the establishment of slavery and but all pro-slavery citizens on the defenses. Now, these men and women were not only fighting to keep their slaves, but preserve the reputation of the South. When Uncle Tom’s Cabin made its way over to England, many inhabitants were shocked by the treatment and cruelty of the slaves. This exposure ended up saving them from another civil war. However, whether or not the book was a true depiction, the South had no way of counteracting the remarks and “falsehoods” that were flying off the printing press. In response, they acted like a small child who doesn’t get what they want: they kick, scream, and reek havoc until they are heard. The attack on Fort Sumter was there cry, and the Union heard it loud and clear.
2. Which event or action in the last 16 months (1860 – 61) had the greatest impact? Why? Did this event make the Civil War inevitable or not? Why?
a. I believe that the succession of the 7 pro-slavery states had the biggest impact (in the last 16 months leading up to the war). When this event happened it became very real to both sides that they were so greatly different, that it would take an event to devastating to bring these opposites back together.
b. I do believe that the civil war was inevitable because of the very reason that the basic issue was whether or not to hold another human being in bondage for their entire life. At one point, a group a kind hearted people would have noticed the wrongness in that, while another group would have seen no same. The good vs. the evil. I theme that we see in movies, politics, and even our own lives. Those who wanted to end the “war” of slavery, whether or not the civil war happened.
1) I think that you can’t just pin the civil war on one event; it was caused by so many factors people can pick anyone as the turning point. I’ll share a few more prominent variables that added to the unrest which eventually led to the implosion of the union in the 1860’s. Probably one of the specific events that added to the unrest that had been building for centuries was the Compromise of 1850 which created a stronger fugitive slave law which added to the growing population of anti-slavery Americans. The novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beacher Stowe, highlighted the horrors of slavery and hit a strong note in the North, but Southerners despised it, saying that it was inaccurate and untrue. This book added to the ever-widening divide between the South and the North. Probably the most important legislation of the time period that led the way to civil war was the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which gave the people of Kansas and Nebraska the right to vote on the issue of slavery. This angered Northerners who thought that slavery was on its way out and more importantly it ignited the formation of the Republican Party, which was anti-slavery. These are just a few of the many events that made the civil war inevitable.
2) Probably the single event that had the greatest impact was the election of 1860, it put a Republican President in office, Abraham Lincoln, and showed the South that the world was changing and they needed to either get with it or jump ship, evidently they chose the latter. This event, in my opinion, made the war inevitable because neither side was willing to change their view on slavery and the huge power shift caused by the election rocked the political serpent that was slavery.
In my opinion the civil war could have been avoided. However, the event that I believe contributed the most happened long before 1846. It was the Nullification Crisis of 1832 that sparked the ideas of secession into the minds of the South Carolinians. Jackson was so eager to have the Tariff of Abominations obeyed, that he didn’t shut down the idea of secession. He encouraged the idea of seceding from the union over the thoughts of nullifying a tariff. Although, the states were not very successful, it sparked something within a vast majority of the southerners. The idea of being different than the rest of the country, the ability to have their own views, and most importantly they felt that they could be in control of all of their actions, regardless of what the federal government felt was appropriate. Many people argue that if Andrew Jackson were to have forcefully taken the idea of secession out of the minds of southerners, the civil war could have been avoided. However, he did not, and thirty years later the Civil War was started. The first state to secede from the Union was South Carolina, just as it was in 1832. Instead of a recent event leading up to the Civil War, it was a person named John Brown. This man was the first white man that would die in the name of slavery. He showed the population that not only was he white, but he was more passionate about abolition than many slaves themselves. Over a period of several years Brown led a series of slavery revolts all leading up to his biggest uprising at Harper’s Ferry. His plan was to attack a federal arsenal, and encourage the slaves to revolt against their masters. He felt that a band of slaves would rush to protect him after they heard of the raid at Harper’s Ferry. Although the arsenal was surrounded by local militia Brown refused to surrender until the fourth day. His plan of recruiting a slave army was unsuccessful, but he didn’t cease to gain the nation’s attention. Through interviews and newspaper articles, his message of abolition was spread, and people realized that this idea was a lot more complicated than anyone expected. It heightened the nation’s views on slavery, and split the Union even farther. It was those who saw Brown as a martyr vs. those who saw him as a madman. He was taken away to be hanged when he said a few of the most momentous words in his life, “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away, but with blood. He showed the nation that it was not enough to devote your whole life to an idea, it would have to go further. His death sparked a zeal within the citizens as they now were willing to die for their cause, just as John Brown had. Frederick Douglass sums it up the best when he says, “…I could live for a slave, but he could die for him.” Less than 15 months after his execution, Brown’s words rang true when the Civil War began, and finally all of the troubles would be relieved.
Yes the civil war was inevitable. The idea that cotton would be able to control the world impacted the start of the Civil war more than anything. I think the Civil War was not mainly about slavery, but about what slavery brought, which was money. If the South could generate money at the same rate any other way they would have done it. I think the fear of losing capital was what drove both the North and the South to war. I think this is what all wars are about at the core. Slavery was the surface issue of the Civil war but this was really about how Lincoln’s decisions would affect everyone’s finances. As the industrial revolution progressed, the demand from the North for help from the South and the slave trade declined. As the gap of differences between the North and South widened, so did the strain of the unity of the America. The North became more business concerned and the South became more and more dependent on slaves. Everything became more like Us vs Them within the United States, and making progression into a competition could have only resulted in the demise of the peace of this nation.
I think all of the significant events that contributed to the war, Dred Scott decision , Lincoln’s election, Wilmot Proviso, the Mexican War, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, the new Fugitive Slave Law, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act all equally added to the tensions that set off the Civil War and bombardment of Fort Sumter. (I forgot this part!!! It didn’t copy it all from word!!)
1. In the years before the Civil War, I think the most impactful event was John Brown’s attempt to start a violent slave rebellion. This event made almost every Southerner fear for his life and many Northerners to see a murderer as a Christ-figure. As one Southerner said, John Brown’s merciless attack left the South afraid that the Northern abolitionists would train their slaves to hack them apart in their sleep, resembling the panic after Bacon’s rebellion. Many in the North saw Brown as a martyr for a great cause, making the South tremble at the extent the North would go to to abolish a practice many of them had no personal experience with. Brown’s raid left the South in utter fear and the North feeling a sick sense of righteousness, and this mentality would lead the South to start a war to protect themselves.
2. I think the election of Abe Lincoln was the tipping point for the South. The South already had a strong feeling that the North was interfering in things that were none of their business, and with a Northern Republican president they felt that their way of life was threatened. The Southerners knew how a vast majority of Northerners thought of them, for “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” and the abolitionist movement had great effect, and they were scared that this new commander-in-chief would give in to popular belief and try to slowly rid the nation of this evil. Although Lincoln said he only wanted to restrict slavery, not abolish it, the South saw that it meant that slavery would be gradually choked out of the US if they did not take action. In his inauguration speech, Lincoln reminded the South that it was illegal to secede, which made them wish to secede even more because they saw this as a sign that the North would get its way from now on and the “minority” South would just have to suffer in silence. Lincoln also offered the South a metaphorical olive branch and sword, and out of fear of the loss of their rights, the South chose the sword. Lincoln’s election did make the Civil War basically inevitable, for the South would never have felt that they were being represented and fully respected by the North because they were forced to kneel before this not pro-slavery Republican. The election of Lincoln made the South think that they were powerless to control the ways of the government, and hence preserve their way of life.
I think that Uncle Tom’s Cabin had the most influence on the war in the 15 years leading up to 1861. Uncle Tom’s Cabin contributed to the outbreak of war by personalizing the political and economic arguments about slavery. Stowe’s informal, conversational writing style inspired people in a way that political speeches, tracts and newspapers accounts could not. Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped many 19th-century Americans determine what kind of country they wanted. Pro-slavery forces claimed that slavery was sanctioned in the Bible, that Tom was too noble, and accused Stowe of fabricating unrealistic, one-sided images of Southern slavery. The most influential event in the last 16 months leading up to the war was the bombing of Fort Sumter because it marked the point of no return for the south. The South declared war by bombing the fort, and the Union had no choice but to react. Before they actually fired on the fort, there was still the chance of a bloodless peace. Lincoln did everything he could to give the south the option of retreating from the war, by refusing to resupply the fort with troops and weapons and only sending food and requirements of life, but the South ignored this and fired on the fort sparking the war. This made the war unavoidable because there was no way for the Union to respond to an attack on a Union fort other than war. Any other response would have made the Union look weak, unwilling to collide and the South would have been encourage and attacked again.
1. The civil war was very much inevitable. The North and the South without a doubt were doomed from the beginning to battle each other eventually over the slavery issue. Although there were plenty events that impacted the start of the war, I believe that John Brown’s raid on Harper’s Ferry provoked the war more than any other event or thing. Brown was swiftly tried for treason against Virginia and hanged. Southern reaction initially was that his acts were of little consequence. But when Northern abolitionists made a martyr of him, Southerners came to believe this was proof the North intended to wage a war of termination against white Southerners. Brown’s raid thus became a step on the road to war between the North and the South because. Brown’s raid also kindled the section’s disunity and differences. People in the North and the South were divided in their opinions because of John Brown he was an abolitionist in the North. Northerners did not believe he should be sentenced to death, while people in the South did because John threatened their lifestyle. This lead to disunion because it dealt with slavery and slavery was such a big issue during that time period. The North and the South were split on whether or not slavery should exist, and this situation changed their solutions to their slavery problem.
2. Knowing that resupplies were on their way from the North to the federal garrison at Fort Sumter in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, provisional Confederate forces in Charleston demanded the fort’s surrender on April 10, 1861. The fort’s commander refused and on April 12, the Confederates opened fire with cannons. At 2:30 p.m. the following day, the commander surrendered. Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina and Tennessee, refusing to fight against other Southern states and feeling that Lincoln had surpassed his presidential authority, overturned themselves and voted in favor of session. The attack of Fort Sumter was the opening engagement of the American Civil War. Although there were no casualties during the attack, one Union artillery guy was killed and three wounded when a cannon exploded on April 14. This made the Civil war inevitable because even though Lincoln did everything in his power to avoid war with the South, there was ultimately nothing he could do to avoid the decision the South wanted to make in beginning the war. Lincoln had no choice but to fight fire with fire because if he would have done otherwise, the Union would have looked down on as weak and others would attempt to run all over them.