HOMEWORK HELP!!! What were the primary and secondary causes of the Civil War?

Answer 1

That is a problem, I know what they want you to say but it is untrue. There was but one reason (which follows). “and they [Yankees] are marked ... with such a perversity of character, as to constitute, from that circumstance, the natural division of our parties” Thomas Jefferson

In the 1770s, the South had every reason to continue the relationship with England, one of its best customers. It was the manufacturing North that was getting the short end of that stick. Southerners joined the Revolutionary War out of patriotism, idealism, and enlightened political philosophy such as motivated Jefferson, not patriotism, philosophy, and economic betterment which inspired the North.
In 1860, the shoe was on the other foot. Southern agrarians were at heel to the nation's bankers and industrialists. That just got worse with the election of the Republican Lincoln, bringing back into power the party favoring the wealthy supply side, as it still does.
Then as now central to that, party's interest was keeping down the cost of manufacture. Today labor is the big cost, so today they move the plants offshore and leave US workers to their fate. Back before the US labor movement existed the big cost was raw materials, and the GOP was just as unprincipled toward its Southern suppliers as it is today toward labor.
Thanks to modern graveyard science and surviving records, researchers know that in 1760, 100 years before the War Between the States, Charleston, South Carolina, had the largest population of slaves and we say proudly the second largest slave population was in New York City.
One of the main quarrels was about taxes paid on goods brought into this country from foreign countries. This tax was called a tariff. Southerners felt these tariffs were unfair and aimed toward them because they imported a wider variety of goods than most Northern people. Taxes were also placed on many Southern goods that were shipped to foreign countries, an expense that was not always applied to Northern goods of equal value. An awkward economic structure allowed states and private transportation companies to do this, which also affected Southern banks that found themselves paying higher interest rates on loans made with banks in the North. As industry in the North expanded, it looked towards southern markets, rich with cash from the lucrative agricultural business, to buy the North's manufactured goods. The situation grew worse after several "panics", including one in 1857 that affected more Northern banks than Southern. Southern financiers found themselves burdened with high payments just to save Northern banks that had suffered financial losses through poor investment. However, it was often cheaper for the South to purchase the goods abroad. In order to "protect" the northern industries Jackson slapped a tariff on many of the imported goods that could be manufactured in the North. When South Carolina passed the Ordinance of Nullification in November 1832, refusing to collect the tariff and threatening to withdraw from the Union, Jackson ordered federal troops to Charleston. A secession crisis was averted when Congress revised the Tariff of Abominations in February 1833. The Panic of 1837 and the ensuing depression began to gnaw like a hungry animal on the flesh of the American system. The disparity between northern and southern economies was exacerbated. Before and after the depression the economy of the South prospered. Southern cotton sold abroad totaled 57% of all American exports before the war. The Panic of 1857 devastated the North and left the South virtually untouched. The clash of a wealthy, agricultural South and a poorer, industrial North was intensified by abolitionists who were not above using class struggle to further their cause.
In the years before the Civil War the political power in the Federal government, centered in Washington, D.C., was changing. Northern and mid-western states were becoming more and more powerful as the populations increased. Southern states lost political power because the population did not increase as rapidly. As one portion of the nation grew larger than another, people began to talk of the nation as sections. This was called sectionalism. Just as the original thirteen colonies fought for their independence almost 100 years earlier, the Southern states felt a growing need for freedom from the central Federal authority in Washington. Southerners believed that state laws carried more weight than Federal laws, and they should abide by the state regulations first. This issue was called State's Rights and became a very warm topic in congress.

These are facts not emotions or unsupported claims, now what was the War over?

Slavery was not a issue. Proven by Lincoln telling the Southerners they could keep the slaves if they would just come back. Further proof is in that Davis stated that if they could "peacefully" remain free they would give up their slaves.

God Bless You and The Southern People.

Answer 2

I'm going to list for you the schools of causation for the civil war taken from my college class on the civil war.

1. Northern School 1865-1890
This thought is that the war was only the souths fault and no one elses.

2. Southern School 1865-1890
This thought is that the north conspired to destroy the south and its institutions of agriculture. It also had to do with constitutional rights to seceed and a high respect for states rights.

3. Neeless War 1865-1890
Says that the war would not have happened if the northern fanatics and the southern extremists kept quiet.

4. Nationalist School 1890-1920
Says both the north and the south were convinced that the war was a blessing in disguise.

5. Progressive School 1910-1940
Says the war was to ensure social justice and to promote political democracy.

6. Marxist School 1930's
Interpreted the war as feudalism versus capitalism.

7. Neo Southern School
says that a group started to fight instead of appologize for the southern way of life.

8. Revisionist School 1930's
says the war was caused by emotion and irrationalism.

9. Neo Northern School 1950's
Slavery was the cause of the war.

10. Concensus School 1950's
Tried to take from all of the above and put them into one coherent thought. It didn't work.

11. Post 1950's School
All about slaver

Now you can see how there have been many misconceptions about the war with all of these different thought and reasons to the war. But the main reason was that the south was stable as an agricultural land and didn't need for the north to come in and industrialize it and ruin the land. The south wanted the same rights as the northern states because of the differing economies. The south was not getting as much support from the north or the government and they knew that if they seceeded the north would have to find their own agricultural ways to get food. Once the war began most of the south was completely slave free because so many of the owners were gone for so long that they had no need for them to keep up their work. While they were free the former slaved decided to stay where they were and to keep on producing agriculture to help the troops when they needed food. There were even Black regimes in the south that wanted to protect the way of life they had. They had food, shelter, a job, and were being educated.

The secondary reasons are slavery which came into play in 1863. Even Abe Lincoln didn't want to get rid of slavery but in his own interest to get the country back together that was going to be his plan. He was also going to send the slaves somewhere else where they could not have any control in the States.

Hope this is enough.

Answer 3

Gosh, this question is aksed about twice a week (sometimes more) here. One does have to be careful when one gets an answer - some people call the Civil War "The War of Northern Agression", and by that you can tell their bias. Most will answer States Rights and Slavery as the primary and the secondary causes. If you have further questions about the Civil War, southron is a well-read and very knowlegeable gentleman, I am sure he could answer most of the questions you have.

Answer 4

Primary: States' Rights
Secondary: Slavery

Answer 5

The Southern economy of cotton and tobacco was being threatened by tariffs the North wished to impose on Europe that would have resulted in trade tariffs on cotton and tobacco going to Europe from the South.
Secondarily, many Northerners found slavery unacceptable.

Answer 6

there was increasing tension in the northern states (cities and factories) and the southern states (rural lands and farms)...

at that time, most people (both north and south) were racist, even abraham lincoln, but they knew slavery was immoral. but the south didn't dare to free the slaves. the south was economically dependent on slaves to do their dirty work... the north tried to free the slaves, not out of righteousness, but as an attack to ruin the southern economy..

Answer 7

1.Sectional rivalry

2.Slavery