During the early nineteenth century the United States began to split, but at the middle of the century people views started to become more concrete and so separation in the Union became more drastic. From 1850 to 1861 it was apparent that the union was separating into the North and the South. The Constitution played a major role in the separation that was occurring. Through sectional favoritism of bits and pieces of the Constitution and through ideas that were left out of it, the Constitution led to sectional discord and nearly the failure of the union. A major issue that caused major sectional discord was the constitutionality of slavery. In the constitution there was no mention of slavery of fears that it would divide the nation, …show more content…
They also saw the law as something that enacted the crime of kidnapping and also as something that wasn’t covered in the Constitution. The whole compromise led to the rapid settlement of Kansas and Nebraska because the Compromise of 1850 led to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This rapid settlement was because in both Kansas and the Nebraska the issue over slavery would be determined by popular sovereignty. This rapid settlement led to Bleeding Kansas where a series of violent events occurred. Both sides of Slavery fought for control over the state of the Kansas Territory. The Democrats tried to force slavery upon free soilers who came to not allow slavery in Kansa because it was a new territory (Document F). This action showed great division in the union because of the differing views of Slavery and the constitutionality of many decisions. Some people spoke out about the flaws with in the Constitution. Also, with these flaws they spoke about their differing views on certain subjects. One of these people was William Garrison. He was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He also was one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Garrison believed that since slaves and slavery aren’t found in the Constitution it never gave protection or countenance to the slave system (Document E).
America’s transformation into the country we live in today has been formed through numerous events during its short history but the event that will split the United States into North versus South is truly one of the most defining events in American history. Through numerous events leading up to the start of the Civil War, I will attempt to show how the United States was destined for conflict and that the Civil War was inevitable. The first way I will show how the war could not be avoided will deal with the issue of slavery. Slavery should be the first mentioned because many conflicts within the United States leading up to the Civil War and the division of the United States dealt with slavery. The Missouri Compromise should also be talked
The reason it divided the nation was the Southern politicians objected to the new territories entering the Union as Free states, and felt like they were not being heard on their sides of the issue, in return the South decided to secede from the Union. War with Mexico added new territories to the Southwest, slavery expanding became more serious than ever. Henry Clay made a series of compromises in an effort to fix the space between the north and south states. Congress eventually passed the Compromise of 1850. This Compromise added California to the Union as a free state, allowed the territories of New Mexico and Utah to decide the slavery issue for themselves. The Kansas-Nebraska Act granted residents of these territories “popular sovereignty,”.
The United States began to dissatisfy some of its citizens and so the concerns of sectionalism, or the split of the country began to arise. There was a continuous riff between the south and the north over a few issues,
At the time just before the civil war, the Northern states and Southern states were divided into one main issue: slavery. The North tended to HATE slavery and the Abolitionists were common. The South felt threatened by this, because the capital was in the north, and it seemed like the government was completely on the side of the north. Starting with Wilmot’s proviso, which first made southerners think that Congress were abolitionists. Next the Kansas-Nebraska act or bloody Kansas, with both sides getting violent, it just added to the conflict between Northerners and Southerners.
In the mid-1800's, many events occurred that increased sectional tension between the Northern and Southern states of the Union. These tensions ultimately resulted in the outbreak of civil war. One thing in particular that is considered to be a source of sectional discord is the U.S. Constitution. However the Constitution itself was not a source of sectional tension that caused the failure of the Union. The failure erupted generally from the issue of slavery. combination of the people in general and the differences in economic styles that lead to the downfall. Poor political decisions such as the Kansas Nebraska Act, lead to bad decisions which worsened the tensions of the union. The economic differences ultimately lead to the Civil War
By the 1850s sectional tension had spread across the nation. The lack of a solution to the issue of slavery that would appease both proponents and opponents of the issue increased this tension. The Constitution was written as a document to bring the nation together but was beginning to tear it apart. The Constitution was vague in terms of addressing slavery within the United States, causing arguments made by both sides of the issue to further polarize the nation. The statement, “By the 1850s the Constitution, originally framed as an instrument of national unity, had become a source of sectional discord and tension and ultimately contributed to the failure of the union it had created.” The interpretations of the Constitution about the
“In a government where sectional interests and feelings may come into conflict, the sole security for permanence and peace is to be found in a Constitution whose provisions are inviolable” (Document B). But, what if the answer is not found in the Constitution? At this time there was an increasing sectional conflict between the North and the South. The problems arose mainly from the issue of slavery, and came largely after the Mexican war. Although the issue of slavery had never been fully resolved, it became a very heated subject during the 1850’s. The Constitution never took a clear stand on the issue, and the people began to see it more as source of sectional discord and tension and they ultimately began to see it as a
There were several issues that contributed to the split between the northern and southern states. Among these were the deep social, economic and political differences. The split could be traced as far back as the early 1800’s, just as the industrial revolution was beginning. It’s effects on the north and the south caused the economic split. As the north was becoming more industrialized; the south began to rely heavily on slave labor. This was one of the main reasons, as the southern view on slavery differed greatly from the North. These views were based on drastically different interpretations of the constitution.
Although some historians feel that the Civil War was a result of political blunders and that the issue of slavery did not cause the conflict, they ignore the two main causes. The expansion of slavery, and its entrance into the political scene.
The succession of the eleven southern states significantly impacted the United States and its citizens during the years of 1860 and 1861. Many people are curious as to why, after many years of unification and prosperity, the North and South would find it necessary to split apart. Many aspects contributed to the southern states decision to succeed from the union including: the diverse perspectives on the emancipation of slavery, the South’s belief it was capable of being self sufficient, as well as, standing as a nation on its own, and the concern that the Constitution of the United States was being altered from the original meaning it was meant to have.
The 1850's were a turbulent time in American history. The North and South were seeing total different views on the issue of slavery. The North saw slavery as immoral and that it was unconstitutional. The south on the other hand saw slavery as their right. The South viewed African Americans as lower human beings which justified slavery. "The 1850's was a time of attempted compromise when compromise was no longer possible." This quote best describes this time period, because Americans were trying to compromise their views to prevent a large conflict, but there were many events which made a compromise impossible.
What caused the Civil War? Starting in 1861, the Civil War began. It took place in the United States of America. The Civil War did not end til 1865 and caused many and multiple problems. Before the war began the Fugitive Slave Act took place during 1850 along with the Missouri Compromise. These agreements caused tension between the north and south. In 1861, the Civil War was caused by political, social, and economic reasons.
The American Civil War, which began in 1861 to 1865, has gone down in history as the one of the most significant events to have ever occurred in the United States of America, thus far. At that time, questions had arose wondering how the United States ever got so close to hitting rock bottom, especially being that it was a conflict within the country itself. Hostility steadily grew through the years dividing the nation further and further, and finally leading to the twelfth day in April 1861 in Fort Sumter, North Carolina. The American Civil War was an irrepressible battle and aside from the obvious physical effects of the war, the disagreement over states rights, the act of slavery, and the raising of tariffs played crucial roles in the
Many causes led to the Civil War. This all happened around the mid 1800s. It was a conflict between the Northern and Southern states. Both sides had their own view on slavery, and their separate views caused contentions between the two. Both had different views on whether to expand or stop slavery growth to the West, or have slavery at all.
Sectionalism was ultimately the main cause of the civil war. Sectionalism is occurs when an individual identifies with a geographic section of the United States based on their culture, social, economical, and political interests of that section. Sectionalism eventually caused the division of the nation, and created parts of the nation, which were the Union and the Confederation. As the tensions progressed, the government strived to unite the divided nation by establishing different legislation to satisfy each section; however, multiple historical events, such as the Election of Abraham Lincoln, the passing of the Kansas Nebraska Act, etc, interrupted the balancing act within the divided nation. The tensions between these sections eventually built up and caused the Civil War to occur. The Civil War was caused by the various economical differences within the nation, the conflict between the legality of slavery, and the political disputes in Congress over issues during that time.