known as the bloodiest war ever fought. The Civil War divided the United States

between its Northern and Southern states. The battles lingered for long years, but the

consequences of the war have endured time. The start of the war began with the firing on

Ft. Sumter by the Southern states and lasted until General Robert E Lee surrendered his

southern troops at Appomattox Court House in Virginia on April 9, 1865. The War

pitted brother against brother in attempts to retain a way of life and thinking. Although

there has not been agreement on the major causes of the War, this essay will explore

possible immediate causes and long term causes of the War. The immediate causes of

the war that will be discussed are the election of Lincoln as president, the quest of the

South to succeed from the Union, and the firing on Fort Sumter. The longer term causes

discussed will be economic differences between the North and South, failure of Congress

to compromise and the slavery and territory issues.

The immediate causes of the War were the election of Lincoln as president.

In order for the issue to be resolved and to keep the Southern states from seceding the

Southern states wanted their independence respected by the national government. The

fire-eaters threatened secession because of Lincoln's affiliation with abolitionist. The

declared that secession was illegal and that he would acquire Southern possessions. One

national government was a conglomeration of sovereign states and that any state had the

preservation of the way of life in the Southern states was of utmost importance. In

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 775
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)