What Started the Civil War

A detailed Summary of What Started the Civil War

The United States was founded upon conflict. As early as the Constitutional Convention of 1787 in Philadelphia the lines of contention were already drawn: the commercial interests of the North conflicted with the planter interests of the South. When the Constitutional Convention convened the founders of the United States sought to put into writing the philosophical basis for the nation they had recently created-and slavery was an issue. The perpetuation of slavery was a direct contradiction to their premise that "all men are created equal," and many members of the Convention called for its abolishment. However, it was acknowledged that the Southern economy could not function without it; slavery continued, but only where it was indispensable. Yet its continuation was not necessarily ideological; it was not that Southerners were inherently more evil or cruel than Northerners-the divide between the states possessed more practical origins.

avery was an efficient agricultural method best suited to a region where cotton and tobacco were the dominant crops. These crops, by contrast to corn or wheat, required a relatively large workforce. In order to generate the most profits, slavery had been employed by Southern aristocrats since the founding of the colonies. From an economic perspective, this was done to cut down on the large costs of actually employing workers. Over time, it became an institution-the abolishment of which would spell certain doom for the established order.

Additionally, the North, with its abundance of goods, saw European goods as direct competition. As a result, tariffs were placed upon imported goods; to the North the tariffs merely ensured their economic survival, but to the South they were perceived as direct payments to the North. The 1824 Tariff, in particular, came to be called the "Tariff of Abominations" by the Southerners. The Southern states asserted their power

Some common words found in the essay are:
Constitutional Convention, Ultimately Northern, Additionally North, Federal Government, Northern Southern, Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina, Missouri Compromise, Party North, Southerners Southern, northern southern, southern economies, missouri slave, constitutional convention, northern southern economies,

Approximate Word count = 647
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History

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What Started the Civil War

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