The U.S. Civil War

A detailed Summary of The U.S. Civil War

During the 1800's the United States of America went through a turbulant period of expansion and reoriganiztion. In the years between 1861 and 1865 there was a civil war between the northern and southern states. It was the bloodiest war in American history. What were the causes of this horrible conflict. Many believe that slavery was the only issue that motivated the South to secede and fight for independance. Although slavery was a source of great controversy from the beginning, there were other factors dividing the country. The contrasting economies of the North and South fueled the debate over slavery as well as other political issues.

Some of the first signs of trouble happend when Missouri wanted to become a state in 1819. Missouri wanted to be a slave state. At this time there were twenty-two states in the Union. Half were slave states and the other half were free. If Missouri became a slave state it would destroy this balance in favor of the slave states. A wave of Protestant revivals known as The Great Awakening inspired many people in the North to become abolitionists against slavery. Slaveholders in the south, fearing economic ruin, portrayed slavery as both important to prosperity and a way to keep black peop

In 1860, following the trouble in Kansas and the election of an Anti-Slavery president, Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina and Mississippi secede from the Union. On February 9, 1861, The Confederate States of America is formed with Jefferson Davis as president. On April 12 Confederates under General Pierre Beauregard open fire with 50 cannons upon Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, beginning The Civil War. More Southern States secede including Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, thus forming an eleven state Confederacy. For the next 5 years the North and South would fight over wether it was to be one country or two.

After the dispute over tariffs was dealt with, tension subsided once again. However the year 1850 brought more trouble. California wanted to enter the union as a free state. California was the first territory applying for state hood in the Mexican Cession. The South believed that if California was a free state the rest of the territory would be too. The North felt they had to stop the spread of slavery. In 1850 Senator Henry Clay once again proposed a plan. His plan was divided into six parts. The first part was that California would be admitted to the Union as a non-slave state. The second part was that Utah and New Mexico could decide if they wanted to be slave states of free states when they applied for statehood. The third and Fourth parts were tied into each other, the third part was that Land in dispute between New Mexico and Texas would go to New Mexico and for giving up this land Texas would receive 10 million dollars. The fifth part was that buying and selling of slaves but not slavery wouldn't be allowed in the District of Columbia. The sixth and final part was that congress would enforce a law stating that runaway slaves must be returned to their owners. The bill was passed section by section until it became law. This again delayed fighting.

In 1854 the Kansas-Ne

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Approximate Word count = 1306
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History