North: Industrialized, urban economy focused on factories, trade, and ‘free ’ and Abolition.
South: Agricultural economy reliant on slave labour for cotton production; viewed slavery as essential not just to economic prosperity, but to white social identity.
Tariffs, Nullification and State’s Rights
The South advocated for states’ rights, believing states should decide on issues like slavery and tariffs. In 1828, South Carolina passed an Ordinance of voiding the 'Tariff of Abominations' and threatened to secede.
Expansion into the West
There was disagreement about whether the new states in the West should be ‘slave’ or ‘free states’
Compromises were agreed in 1820 (the ‘ Compromise’) and 1850, but in 1854 a minor civil war broke out in Kansas (‘Bleeding Kansas’) between rival campaigners.
A confrontation developed over the Homestead Act.
Power and Politics
Until the 1840s, the South had controlled the Senate, and ‘-faced’ Presidents. They lost this, and Abraham Lincoln (elected 1860) was an abolitionist.
Slavery
A moral issue for the North; the whole basis of their (cotton) economy, and white supremacy for the South. It also came into all the above arguments.
Events Leading to the American Civil War
1820: Missouri Compromise
Congress maintained a balance with 11 free and 11 slave states. To admit Missouri as a slave state, Maine joined as a free state, and slavery was restricted north of latitude 36°30’.
1831: Nat Turner’s Insurrection
Enslaved preacher Nat Turner led a rebellion in , killing 55 whites. Southern panic followed, leading to lynchings, Turner’s brutal execution, and restrictive laws against teaching Black people to read.
Northerners had mixed reactions, with some abolitionists praising Turner.
1848: Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850
Congressman David Wilmot proposed banning slavery in lands gained from Mexico, but it failed in the Senate. The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state but included a Act.
The admission of California shifted Senate power against the South, intensifying Southern fears of Northern conspiracy.
1852: Uncle Tom’s Cabin Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel about the evil of slavery inspired many Northerners to join the abolitionist cause. Southern responses criticized it as false.
1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act and ‘Bleeding Kansas’
Stephen Douglas, as part of his plan to build the through Nebraska, proposed letting new territories choose slavery status, effectively repealing previous compromises. Violent conflicts followed in Kansas.
1856: Republican Party Formed
The Whig Party disintegrated, and the Party split over slavery. The Republican Party emerged, opposing slavery’s expansion and reinforcing Southern fears of Northern hostility.
1857: Dred Scott Case
The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not , outraging Northerners who viewed it as pro-Southern bias.
1859: John Brown’s Raid
Abolitionist John Brown attempted to incite a slave revolt by raiding a federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. His execution galvanized Northern abolitionists and confirmed Southern fears of Northern intentions to instigate rebellions.
1860: Lincoln Elected President
Abraham Lincoln won the presidency with overwhelming Northern support, but wasn’t even on ballots in most Southern states. Before he was even sworn in, seven Southern states had seceded, forming the Confederacy.
1861: Fort Sumter Crisis
Lincoln sent supplies to Fort Sumter in South Carolina, which had seceded. Before supplies arrived, Confederate forces fired on the fort, prompting Lincoln to call for troops. Four more states joined the Confederacy, and both sides readied for war.
Historiography of the Causes of the American Civil War
Although Southern leaders initially identified slavery as the cause of the war, after the South’s defeat historians reframed it as a fight for states' rights and liberty.
In 1917, James Ford Rhodes argued the war was a moral struggle over slavery, and “undoubtedly ”.
In 1927, Charles and Mary Beard saw it as an economic conflict over Western territories.
Southern historian Frank Owsley claimed Northern aggression provoked a “” in the South.
The Civil Rights Movement revived focus on slavery as a central issue and, by 2012, modern historians like Michael Woods had reached a consensus that ‘slavery’ -- as a complex social and economic system, not just the right to ‘own’ another person – was central to the causes of the war. viewing it.
Origins of Conflict: Long-Term Factors
Sectionalism: North v South
North: Industrialized, urban economy focused on factories, trade, and ‘free LABOR’ and Abolition.
South: Agricultural economy reliant on slave labour for cotton production; viewed slavery as essential not just to economic prosperity, but to white social identity.
Tariffs, Nullification and State’s Rights
The South advocated for states’ rights, believing states should decide on issues like slavery and tariffs. In 1828, South Carolina passed an Ordinance of NULLIFICATION voiding the 'Tariff of Abominations' and threatened to secede.
Expansion into the West
There was disagreement about whether the new states in the West should be ‘slave’ or ‘free states’
Compromises were agreed in 1820 (the ‘MISSOURI Compromise’) and 1850, but in 1854 a minor civil war broke out in Kansas (‘Bleeding Kansas’) between rival campaigners.
A confrontation developed over the Homestead Act.
Power and Politics
Until the 1840s, the South had controlled the Senate, and ‘DOUGH-faced’ Presidents. They lost this, and Abraham Lincoln (elected 1860) was an abolitionist.
Slavery
A moral issue for the North; the whole basis of their (cotton) economy, and white supremacy for the South. It also came into all the above arguments.
Events Leading to the American Civil War
1820: Missouri Compromise
Congress maintained a balance with 11 free and 11 slave states. To admit Missouri as a slave state, Maine joined as a free state, and slavery was restricted north of latitude 36°30’.
1831: Nat Turner’s Insurrection
Enslaved preacher Nat Turner led a rebellion in VIRGINIA, killing 55 whites. Southern panic followed, leading to lynchings, Turner’s brutal execution, and restrictive laws against teaching Black people to read.
Northerners had mixed reactions, with some abolitionists praising Turner.
1848: Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850
Congressman David Wilmot proposed banning slavery in lands gained from Mexico, but it failed in the Senate. The Compromise of 1850 admitted California as a free state but included a FUGITIVE SLAVE Act.
The admission of California shifted Senate power against the South, intensifying Southern fears of Northern conspiracy.
1852: Uncle Tom’s Cabin Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s novel about the evil of slavery inspired many Northerners to join the abolitionist cause. Southern responses criticized it as false.
1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act and ‘Bleeding Kansas’
Stephen Douglas, as part of his plan to build the TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD through Nebraska, proposed letting new territories choose slavery status, effectively repealing previous compromises. Violent conflicts followed in Kansas.
1856: Republican Party Formed
The Whig Party disintegrated, and the DEMOCRATIC Party split over slavery. The Republican Party emerged, opposing slavery’s expansion and reinforcing Southern fears of Northern hostility.
1857: Dred Scott Case
The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not CITIZENS, outraging Northerners who viewed it as pro-Southern bias.
1859: John Brown’s Raid
Abolitionist John Brown attempted to incite a slave revolt by raiding a federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. His execution galvanized Northern abolitionists and confirmed Southern fears of Northern intentions to instigate rebellions.
1860: Lincoln Elected President
Abraham Lincoln won the presidency with overwhelming Northern support, but wasn’t even on ballots in most Southern states. Before he was even sworn in, seven Southern states had seceded, forming the Confederacy.
1861: Fort Sumter Crisis
Lincoln sent supplies to Fort Sumter in South Carolina, which had seceded. Before supplies arrived, Confederate forces fired on the fort, prompting Lincoln to call for troops. Four more states joined the Confederacy, and both sides readied for war.
Historiography of the Causes of the American Civil War
Although Southern leaders initially identified slavery as the cause of the war, after the South’s defeat LOST CAUSE historians reframed it as a fight for states' rights and liberty.
In 1917, James Ford Rhodes argued the war was a moral struggle over slavery, and “undoubtedly INEVITABLE”.
In 1927, Charles and Mary Beard saw it as an economic conflict over Western territories.
Southern historian Frank Owsley claimed Northern aggression provoked a “WAR PSYCHOSIS” in the South.
The Civil Rights Movement revived focus on slavery as a central issue and, by 2012, modern historians like Michael Woods had reached a consensus that ‘slavery’ -- as a complex social and economic system, not just the right to ‘own’ another person – was central to the causes of the war. viewing it.
