StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

The Reason for the Civil War into the United States - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This essay "The Reason for the Civil War into the United States" focuses on the Civil War which was a result of several events that took place from 1846 to 1861. These events also considered as the causes of the Civil War are: Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, fugitive slave Act, etc…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER94.9% of users find it useful
The Reason for the Civil War into the United States
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "The Reason for the Civil War into the United States"

This bill, however, failed to pass the Senate, the slaveholders contended that slaves were property and the constitution had guaranteed the right to property. In 1850, there was the compromise, famously known as the compromise of 1850. This involved California applying to be part of the Union, this upset the balance of Free states and slaves as California sought to be a free state. The agreed compromise was that California would be admitted as a Free State translating to the abolishment of the slave trade in Washington D.C, however, the rest of the States that won from Mexico would keep their slaves and lenient laws would be passed in this regard (Gallagher 19). In 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act was passed and this sought the assistance of Northerners in capturing runaway slaves. The Act also passed that fugitives would be arrested without a warrant and would not be granted a fair trial. This read to the writing of the novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Beecher Stowe in 1952. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed which gave the residents autonomy to decide their position on slavery (Gallagher 20). There was illegal voting that translated to the civil war this resulted after Missouri residents rigged in favor of slavery.

In 1857, the Dred Scott case was heard, Dred an enslaved man argued for his freedom after his master’s death. However, the Supreme Court ruled against him, citing that he could not sue in the United States as he was not a citizen. This case dominated during the Lincoln-Douglas debates in 1958 with the former arguing against slavery and its spread as well as keeping the South in the Union. Later, Douglas would win the elections but Lincoln benefited from the national exposure. In the elections of 1860, Lincoln who was a Republican won the elections. This prompted secession by the South, who had threatened to withdraw from the Union in the event Lincoln won mainly due to his stance on slavery. The southerners seceded in 1860 forming the Confederate States of America, these elected Jefferson Davis as president. The secession set the stage for a war that would put to test the strength of the American republic, the Civil War (Gallagher 21).

How & Why the Union defeated the confederacy
Going into the war, the North had some definite advantages. One of the advantages was in the numbers; the North had 22 million people compared to the population of 9 million in the South. Out of the 9 million people in the South, only 5.5 million of them were whites. The other advantage was in the industrial capacity, by the time of the war the North was producing 94% of the total firearms present in the United States. The Confederates had to rely on firearms supplied by the European trade partners. The trade would later be suppressed by the Union (Gallagher 30). The Union used its superior naval machinery to disrupt the trade which largely took place in the sea. Finally, the Union benefited from the fact that four slave states stacked with the Union, were Delaware, Missouri, Maryland, and Kentucky.

Abraham Lincoln’s role
Abraham Lincoln was the president of the United States at the time of cessation by the Southerners, also referred to as the Confederate States. Being the president, he felt he had a duty to protect the Union and ensure that all the States remained United. Therefore, his main role in the Civil War was his stance that secession was illegal. By declaring it illegal, he set the stage for the War (Giennap). He took an active role in steering the North through the War and he was later instrumental in dismantling slavery by upsetting the views and support of slavery by the Southerners.

Significance of the Civil War
The immediate significance of the Civil War was the restoration of the Union. By the Union defeating the Confederacy, the cessation claim was put to rest and the states were back together. The War is also considered a major milestone in ensuring the freedom of the black persons who had been slaves in the South. This heralded their absorption into American society. To the world, the War ensured the strength of the United States as a harmonious State a factor that has informed its supremacy to date.

Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 6”, n.d.)
Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/history/1465027-history
(History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 6)
https://studentshare.org/history/1465027-history.
“History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 Words - 6”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/history/1465027-history.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF The Reason for the Civil War into the United States

The Civil War in America

Your name Civil War Introduction the civil war took place in America as a result of a bitter conflict that was sectional among its states.... It is believed that the origin of the civil war can only be traced within the complicated issues of politics, slavery and conflicts arising between the State's rights scope and the federal powers, modernization, economics, sectionalism, expansionism, and Antebellum period competing nationalism.... While all wars are taken as being equally horrific, one war that will always stand out of the rest is the civil war....
14 Pages (3500 words) Essay

Could 1860 Civil War Be Avoided

Researchers stated that any understanding of American nation should be based on a study of the civil war.... Kaufman stated that the civil war defined the nation (Kaufman, 2006).... It is also undoubted fact that the Revolution has made its own contribution, but exactly the civil war made the nation stronger and identified its good and bad sides.... Thus, each person who is going to understand the American character absolutely needs to explore the great catastrophe of the XIX century, to explore the civil war....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Changes in the United States After the Civil War

Changes in the united states after the Civil War Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts 07 September 2011 Changes in the united states after the Civil War Introduction: The American Civil War (1861-1865) wrote a new chapter in the history of America.... the united states of America, after the war, witnessed a lot of changes and transition in every field, which led it to the path of development.... The position of America, as in the present world, comes as an after effect of the civil war....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper

Classifications and Characteristics of Different Civil Wars

The civil wars in England between during the years 1641 to 1651, in the united states from 1861 to 1865, and in China from 1921 to1928, were political.... xxxx Subject: History and Political Science    Topic: the civil war 27 April, 2012 Civil War Civil war is an armed conflict that takes place between two or more nations, more or less of equivalent political governments, for sovereignty of a particular territory or for a legal control of a certain group of people, or both....
8 Pages (2000 words) Research Paper

America Post-Civil War Growing Pains

America's Post-Civil War Growing Pains America's Post-Civil War Growing Pains American's post civil war Growing Pains the civil war is recognized as one of the major turning points in American history, which led the nation to become a strong political and economic nation.... The post-civil war period is widely known as the ‘Reconstruction' period, which began at the end of the civil war.... Therefore, the paper enters into a discussion of the impact of the two major turning points, which occurred after the civil war, as well as considering the different effects of the laws that were passed during this period....
3 Pages (750 words) Essay

Causes of the Civil War

In line with this, the American Civil War must be understood beyond the context of death, but it must be taken into account that the civil war had bore many positive changes and perspective, not only to the American society and political system, but also in the worldwide perspective.... An author of this essay seeks to examine the context behind the events during the American civil war.... He further suggests that the American civil war was a vital turning point of America, and also a great example resolving historical differences among and within nations....
8 Pages (2000 words) Essay

The United States Civil War: Why the South Lose

The Civil War was one of the bloodiest wars in that it took more lives than any other war in the united states' history.... avis, the first president of the Confederate States and Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the united states; the Union emphasizing strict compliance to the united states Constitution and support for the Union; the Democratic Party was divided into two parties, one representing the North and the other representing the South....
9 Pages (2250 words) Essay

Changes in the United States after the Civil War

This paper addresses the changes within the country after the civil war.... The position of America, as in the present world, comes as an after effect of the civil war.... The country's rights were limited as the federal government enjoyed more power and this induced a protest against the federal government, therefore, causing the civil war.... The causes of civil war were identified to be numerous but the main causes among them were found to be slavery, economic and social, issues regarding rights of the states, and the election of Abraham Lincoln....
7 Pages (1750 words) Research Paper
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us