In 1818 Missouri became a state. The settlers from Missouri wanted it to be a slave state. The Congressmen from the North did not want another slave state. That same year Maine also asked to be admitted to the Union.
In 1820 an agreement called the Missouri Compromise was reached. The compromise allowed Missouri to come into the Union as a slave state and Maine would be a free state.
Congress drew an imaginary line across the middle of the United States running from the east coast to the Pacific Ocean. This imaginary line separated the states into free and slave states. Any new state entering the Union that was south of the line would be a slave state. Any state north of the line would enter the Union as a free state.
In 1793, when Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, cotton became very profitable and the
southern economy turned into a one crop economy. Plantations depended on cheap labor to make a profit and therefore the amount of slave labor increased. The northern economy on the other hand though, was based more on industry than agriculture. These two economies were extremely different and would eventually cause a huge argument.
With the agricultural southern economy and the industrial northern economy the ways of life were different. The North was more of a city life and attracted a lot more people than the South. The South depended on slavery to thrive and make a profit. Slavery actually helped produce about a third of the regions wealth, made up little over half of the labor force, and was a deep part of the social structure. While the South wished to maintain and even expand slavery into the new Western territory the North saw no need for the oppression of African Americans and ultimately wanted to abolish the practice of slavery. If slavery were illegal then the southern economy would fail but wouldnt affect the Northern regions at all. The South couldnt understand the Norths viewpoint and the North couldnt understand the Souths viewpoint because of their different life styles and economies and therefore they couldnt compromise on the issue.
Not only were the economies different, but peoples opinions about states rights versus federal rights differed. Southern states believed that the US Constitution ignored the rights of states to continue to act independently and they didnt like the idea of not having the right to decide if they were willing to accept certain federal acts. Northern states though argued that the federal government should have more control over the states.
Maine became a state in 1820 and, Missouri became a state in 1821. When Missouri asked to join as a slave state, a crisis erupted. The admission of Missouri would upset the balance of power in the senate.
In 1850 California asked to be admitted to the Union. The Missouri Compromise had cut California in half. Congressmen argued over whether California should enter the war as a free or slave state.Henry Clay, the man who worked out the Missouri Compromise, came out of retirement to try to work out another compromise. The new agreement was called the Compromise of 1850. In this compromise Northern California entered the Union as a free state. The Compromise of 1850 added some new laws. Buying and selling slaves in Washington, D.C. was outlawed. The people living in Washington, D.C. could still own slaves, but could not buy or sell new ones. In the South the land received from Mexico was broken up into two states, New Mexico and Utah. In these states the settlers could decide for themselves whether they wanted slavery or not.
The Fugitive Slave law of 1850, required all citizens to help catch runaway slaves. People who let runaway slaves escape would be fined 1,000, and jailed for six monthes. The slave law of 1850, was hard to ignore. Judges received $10.00 for sending an accused runaway to the south. They receive $5.00 for setting someone free. Most runaways were sent back to the south, so judges made more money.In several northern cities crowds tried to rescue fugitive slaves from their captors. The North and South eventually reached a compromise, neither side getting everything it wanted.
The election of President Abraham Lincoln was also a huge cause of the Civil War. Many Southern states believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of Northern interests. This drove seven states to succeed from the Union before Lincoln was ever even elected.
The Confederate States of America fought the Civil War to protect their states rights but mostly to maintain slavery. The Union fought the Civil War because they wanted an end to slavery but also because many people believed that the Southern states didn鈥檛 have the right to succeedMy 'What started the Civil War essay' good? 10 points..its a little long.?
Good sounding according to history that we teach today but short on truth and facts, to think that a failed southern economy would have no effect on the northern economy is just crazy. Lincoln stated in his first inaugural address that he was willing to sign an amendment to the constitution that gave the states all power over slavery and the federal government none. He also said that the only reason there would be bloodshed, the only reason that the north would invade the south would be over taxes and protecting federal land.My 'What started the Civil War essay' good? 10 points..its a little long.?
Over all, good...some fine points: Read the 10th Amendment...the south didn't think the constitution ignored them...they felt the North was usurping States' rights...
Lincoln's campaign was about curbing the spread of slavery, not abolition. The abolition of slavery didn't enter into the equation until almost two years after the war started.
And BTW a civil war is an internal struggle to overthrow the government in power...the south had no intention of overthrowing the US government...that is why the Southern States succeeded. The war was a result of the North holding the Union together by force.
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