Exploring the Causes of the American Civil War

The years before the Civil War were amply filled with causes for the destruction this war brought. There was no one prominent cause for this war but instead too many to list here today. Differences between the North and South such as rising tensions during the years before the war, abolitionists, and sectionalism are just a few of the causes of the Civil War.

Sectionalism between the North and South was caused mainly by technology, industrialization, and agriculture, or more broadly, the economy. Before 1800 the United States was an undeveloped, unsophisticated, third world country. By 1800 we began to use machines but still only 6% of the population were living in towns with the largest city being Philadelphia with a population of 40,000 people. The economy began to grow twice as fast as population due to modernization but the south didn t seem to catch on because it had been so successful. Why change something that is good? Besides, what were they to do with all their slaves? It was once said the slavery is like having a wolf by the ears: if you let go then you will be eaten alive by the economy.

The majority of the Nation s millionaires were from the south including presidents, speakers, and politicians. The north didn t let this bother them. They welcomed change and the economy continued to expand. In 1840 we began to use railroads and by the year 1860 there was almost 31,000 miles of railroads across the nation. That was more than all of Great Britain combined. Also, steamboats, canals, and roads were being used. Roads were the key to tell how well an economy was doing and until now the roads had been horrible. The northerners were making a profit at every end selling not only manufactured goods but agricultural goods as well.

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Population was still increasing but farmers began to decrease because they were needed much less in the northern society. In 1860, 40% of the north s population was involved in agriculture while 84% of the southern population was involved in agriculture. Where are the rest of the northerners? They are in the manufacturing business. And manufacturing was booming mainly because of interchangeable parts. It was also booming because 7 out of 8 migrants would settle in the north to work. This was primarily because they didn t have to compete with slaves. So it s easy to see that the north is changing, they re more ethnically diverse, pursuant of education, capitalism, and literacy, and are expanding toward progress while the south sticks to its aristocracy and agriculture. It is these old beliefs and lack of entrepreneurism that causes the sectionalism and ultimately triggers the Civil War.

Abolitionists also played a significant role in the cause of the Civil War. It was the role of the abolitionists to, bit by bit annoy and frustrate the southern leaders and their cause. One of these provokers was a white man by the name of William Lloyd Garrison. William Lloyd Garrison used to write articles for newspapers and in 1829 went to help Benjamin Lundy in publishing the Genius of Universal Emancipation. In 1830, this led to his imprisonment for seven weeks. On Jan.1, 1831 he published the first issue of the Liberator, a paper that continued for 35 years, until the thirteenth amendment had been adopted.

The Liberator was the voice of Garrison on the issue of complete abolition of slavery. The paper wasn t a popular seller but it was famous for its emotion-filled language. Garrison didn t believe in persuasion by force or by ballot but instead relied on moral persuasion. This furiated many and in 1835 he was attacked in Boston by a mob filled with seemingly respectable people. Garrison organized the New England Anti-Slavery Society in 1831 and two years later the American Anti-Slavery Society, of which he was president. But Garrison might have been a little too extreme. He went so far as to say that the North should secede from the Union because the Constitution permitted slavery. He even burned the Constitution publicly at an abolitionist meeting on July 4, 1854. Though his actions and beliefs may have been radical for his time, his morals were in the right place. He brought attention to things that most people were afraid to speak about.

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