Dr. James Oliver Horton, a professor of American Studies and History at George Washington University, felt that slavery, "...was not the only cause, or the only important cause, but it was the central cause. If you take slavery out of the equation, you don't have a Civil War with the sides involved as they were" (Brechbill). While the tariffs, taxation policies, and states rights were factors, the "Confederate Soldiers fought for honor and for the Southern way of life" (Brechbill). Some still argue that slavery was not an issue because it was avoided for the entire first year of the war. However, others felt it was a major issue because it was the nail in the coffin for th

The prelude to the Civil War is complicated and up for interpretation. It was a time full of passion and heartache where emotions ran high. The Civil War was delayed by some compromises, however, war between the two sides was inevitable.

By 1850, Henry Clay knew something would have to be done. Therefore, he developed a plan he hoped would appease both sides. He came up with eight resolutions that were grouped into two categories. The first pair would admit California as a state and organize the remainder of the Mexican cession without any restriction on slavery. The second pair would settle the boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico. After many debates, the Compromise finally came about as a series of separately enacted measures. Eventually, they became law with a majority of congressmen from one section voting against the majority of the other. For ten years, the Compromise of 1850 merely escaped the crisis (McPherson 70).

The Mexican War added new territory into the equation with the question always being whether or not the land would become free or slave states. By the Missouri Compromise in 1820, after the admission of Missouri into the Union, all states above the 36' 30 parallel were to be admitted as free states and everything below the parallel was to be slave. David Wilmot, a Northern Democratic Congressman, felt that slavery already took up enough of the continent and developed the Wilmot Proviso in 1846. The bill passed twice in the House of Representatives but failed to pass in the Senate. The bill provoked bitter controversy between the North and South (McPherson 55).

When the 1850 census was distributed, Southerners were alarmed because the population expansion had been twenty percent larger in the North than in the South. The main reason for this was lack of economic opportunity. When immigrants settled in the North, jobs were available and there was no competition for slave labor. The North was advancing at a more rapid pace than the South, economically. In 1850, only 14 percent of the canal mileage ran through slave states. In 1840, the South had 44 percent of the country's railroad mileage. But by 1850, the mileage dropped to 26 percent. The slave states also only possessed 18 percent of the country's manufacturing capacity, although they made up 42 percent of the population. Moreover, nearly half of the industrial capital was found in the boarder states whose loyalty to the South was questionable (McPherson 91).

Slavery was the key to economic survival in the South. However, the South needed to constantly expand acreage to increase revenue. The economic system was circular because they needed to make money to buy slaves, to make cotton, to make more money, and to buy more slaves. President Lincoln came into office and expressed he did not want to kill slavery, he just wanted to contain it. To the Southerner, this sounded just the same. The North rapidly developed an industrial system that did not need more land to increase their wealth.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2320
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)