Causes Of The Civil War Essays (1654 words) -

Causes Of The Civil War Origins of the Civil War Partisan politics have been an American institution since the days of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. During the youth of the new nation, political parties were often divided over issues such as the constitution and government, but during the nineteenth century problems arose that had never plagued America before. Ideas of the abolition of slavery and secession from the Union cut political lines right down the middle and made politics and economics a battle between the North and the South. With no compromise in sight, tensions rose and the thoughts of a more perfect union began to crumble. When blame is sought for the cause of the Civil War, slavery has always been at the forefront and is the most prominent reason, but also included are the economic differences between the North and the South. No one reason can clearly explain why the events that led up to the Civil War caused the Union to divide, but by grouping together the economic consequences of the governments actions t owards the abolition of slavery, taxation of trade between the North and South, and the fight for states right we can begin to draw a clearer picture of what the sources of the Civil War were. Perhaps best stated by Major General of the Confederate States of America, John B. Gordon, Slavery was undoubtedly the immediate fomenting cause of the woeful American conflict. It was the great political factor around which the passions of the sections had long been gathered-the tallest pine in the political forest around whose top the fiercest lightnings were to blaze and whose trunk was destined to be shivered in the earthquake shocks of war. (Gordon pg. 2) Flatt 2 The arguments that arose before the Civil War were rooted in a set of tariffs placed on trade between the manufacturing North and the agricultural South. Goods produced in Europe were often less expensive than goods in the North. In order to ensure Northern profits from manufacturing high tariffs were placed on foreign goods being imported to the South. The South argued they were being forced to pay a considerably higher price to purchased manufactured goods and blamed this for the recession the Southern economy was feeling during the 1820s (Swogger pg.2). In 1828 vice-president John C. Calhoun said if a state felt that the federal government was using its authority beyond the limits of the Constitution, that state could revoke the law. Arguments over taxation policies led to South Carolina passing an Ordinance of Nullification in November 1832 to override President Jacksons tariff practices. The state refused to collect the tariff imposed on foreign trade, and threatened to withdraw from the Union. With the amendment of the Tariff of Abominations in 1833, South Carolina continued its statehood in the Union.(Golden pg. 2) After South Carolina set the precedent for actions toward states rights, the Southern states looked to extend their sovereignty and move away from what they saw as an oppressive federal government. After seeing the impact of the tariff regulations, tensions between state governments and federal law grew to a heightened level. Every legislative move was closely watched and weighed by the public and the local governments. Citizens felt the state governments could better act in their own self interest Flatt 3 and that quarrels between state to state often left issues unresolved. During the presidential elections of 1848, 1852, and 1856 the issue of slavery had been vaguely debated and often ignored by the candidates. Reducing the power of the federal government and increasing the authority of state sovereignty was also guided by the opposing differences in economic systems of the North and the South. The manufacturing and trade industry of the North and the agricultural industry of the South relied on a certain amount of cooperation between the two sides, but also meant that each side could sustain itself financially to an extent. The Southern economy was flourishing before the Panic of 1837 and quickly rebounded from the depression. Prior to 1861, the South and its plantations were economically soaring. Cotton and tobacco were constantly being harvested below the Mason-Dixon Line, bringing in tons money from all over the world. A new industrial