History question--CIVIL WAR????

Question

I need help, I have a research paper due on the causes of the Civil War. Its a very indepth look on the War, so what would you say is the cause of the Civil War? Please do not say slavery, because although that was a very important part of the war it was not the main cause.
Thanks for all your help!!!

Answer 1

You are right, there is a lot here. Try Wikipedia, the free, online encyclopedia (see links below). Here is quote from the first link:

"Secession was caused by the coexistence of a slave-owning South and an increasingly anti-slavery North. Lincoln did not propose federal laws making slavery unlawful where it already existed, but he had, in his 1858 House Divided Speech, envisioned it as being set on "the course of ultimate extinction". Much of the political battle in the 1850s focused on the expansion of slavery into the newly created territories. Both North and South assumed that if slavery could not expand it would wither and die.

Southern fears of losing control of the federal government to antislavery forces, and northern fears that the slave power already controlled the government, brought the crisis to a head in the late 1850s. Sectional disagreements over the morality of slavery, the scope of democracy and the economic merits of free labor vs. slave plantations caused the Whig and "Know-Nothing" parties to collapse, and new ones to arise (the Free Soil Party in 1848, the Republicans in 1854, the Constitutional Union in 1860). In 1860, the last remaining national political party, the Democratic Party, split along sectional lines.

Other factors include states' rights, modernization, sectionalism, the nullification crisis, and economic differences between the North and South."

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

Biggest one was "State Rights", the most common mistake people make is thinking slavery was the main cause, when really Lincoln even said "If I can end the war without ending slavery then so be it", maybe not in those exact words but close.

Answer 3

The south chose to nullify the Constitution on the grounds that the federal government had userped powers clearly defined as belonging to the individual states. It's standard practice in contract law for one party to void the entire contract, when the other party has substantially violated it's terms.

You'll find plenty of information on the site below.

Answer 4

A website I went to says that it was caused by state rights, high tariffs, and unfair legislative representation. Read this site and dont forget to site it.