CAUSES OF THE US CIVIL WAR

Leading to a Civil War

Events leading to the Secession of the SouthSucession

"to withdraw formally from a union or alliance”

Southern individual states nullified their ratification of the U.S. constitution

The Process of Secession

LEADING TO A CIVIL WAR

Events Leading to the Secession of the SouthPolitical Sectionalism

○ Missouri Compromise○ Gag Rule○ Compromise of 1850○ Wilmot Proviso

Kansas Nebraska Act 1854Dred Scot Decision 1857Election of 1860

Slave and Free Territories Under the Compromise of 1850

Leading to a Civil War

The Confederate States of AmericaConstitution 1787 (1789 9 states ratified - 4 didn't)

○ established government ○ Constitution states that states can't coin money and can’t

maintain an army but can they secede?

Southern Position held that the Constitution did not automatically bind states

Individual States first . . . then United

STATES UNITED

Leading to a Civil War

The Confederate States of America

Individual States first . . . then United

STATES UNITED

11 southern states seceded and formed their own countryNorth says no you can't leave = 4 long years of fighting

CIVIL (internal) War - settle question about whether a state can succeed

- Pre Civil War The United States are- Post Civil War The United States is

The Election of 1860

Leading to a Civil War

The Confederate States of AmericaRadicals - fire eaters

○ South Carolinians since Nullification Controversy

South Carolina state convention Dec 20, 1860○ repeal ratification of federal constitution

6 weeks later MI, Fl, GA, Al, LA, TX succeed

Delegates to Montgomery Alabama○ organized themselves as the C.S. of A.○ Jefferson Davis - President ( Mississippi)

The Process of Secession

Leading to a Civil War

Causes Leading to A Civil War 1. Conspiracy

President Country North Lincoln 1860 USA South J. Davis 1861 CSA

○ Each side felt the other was conspiring against the other○ Laws & measures that inhibited the south

Congress controlled by north - DAVIS○ North doesn't want to control south - south wants

to expand into the west LINCOLN○ Each side didn't trust in an economic or political sense

Leading to a Civil War

Causes Leading to A Civil War 2. Constitutional

UNITED STATES VS. STATES UNITED

○ South - separate individual states form the unionsince states formed the union they can opt out

○ North - the union created the states by the constitutionIf the union is dissolved there is nothingLINCOLN WAS FIGHTING TO SAVE THE UNION NOT

TO FREE THE SLAVES (a political move)Lincoln was a federalist & constitutionalist

Leading to a Civil War Causes Leading to A Civil War

3. Growth of Slavery○ South had 4 million slaves

Slave owners 25% - 17 % 1-9 slaves - 7% 10-99 slaves - .1% 100+

very few had large plantations small minority of controlling whites

controlled southern society○ Labor intensive agricultural society

slaves imported because can't get enough whites to do the labor

Leading to a Civil War Causes Leading to A Civil War

3. Slavery○ Davis - the Blacks have a better condition under

the superior White race“docile savages to bodily comforts and religious instruction”

○ Lincoln - not in favor of bringing about the socialor economic equality of African slaves

“There must be the position of inferior/superior” Lincoln 1858

Lincoln was a product of his own culture. Freeing of slaves not a matter of equality!!!Yet he was against the concept of slavery

SAVE THE UNION

Leading to a Civil War

Causes Leading to A Civil War

4. Economic○ Labor

South - free labor North - paid labor○ Tariffs

North wanted to protect their products artificial inflation of imports

South faced reciprocal tariffs when they exported their agricultural products

South Against High Tariffs

North Against Free Labor

Leading to a Civil War

Causes Leading to A Civil War

4. Economic

○ North passes laws in congress because of an imbalance in voting power

19 Free States

15 Slave States

Leading to a Civil War

Causes Leading to A Civil War

5. Nature of a Republic

○ What is a Republic?Representative Democracy

○ Freedom to choose

South choose to leave under this freedom

Under another system this would not have happened!

Leading to a Civil War

○ ". . . it presents the question whether discontented individuals too few in numbers to control administration according to organic law in any case, can always upon the pretenses made in this case, or on any other pretense, break up their government, and thus practically put an end to free government upon the earth. It forces us to ask: Is there, in all republics, this inherent and fatal weakness? Must a government, of necessity be too strong for the liberties of its own people or too weak to maintain its own existence?"

Lincoln - July 4, 1861following Ft. Sumter

And so it begins….. April 12 and 13, 1861, the Confederate

shelling on Ft. Sumter in Charleston Harbor officially started the US Civil War which will eventually take:1,100,000 casualties 620,000 livesMillions of dollars of damageBillions of dollars of damage to agricultureCountless other emotional, physical and mental

injuries and damage to soldiers and citizens alike.