The Civil War was an event in history where the North and the South faced against eachother in war. There were various actions that had triggered the war based on the inability for the two states and the federal government to compromise. The reasons include Southern states wanting to assert their authority into the federal government, Abraham Lincoln winning the 1860 election, and Southern states turning to secession. The events ultimately led to a war that took the lives of nearly 620,000 men. This essay will explain in detail the events that occurred leading up to the American Civil War.
Following the 1803 Lousianna purchase, the Congress wanted to establish a policy to expand slavery into all of the western territory (need a citation). This triggered the start of the Missouri Compromise in which Missouri became a slave state and Maine was admitted as a free state. Thomas Jefferson felt that this was a very immoral decision. The southern states wanted to assert all of their authority over to the federal government so that they abolish laws they didn’t support. The South also wished to have slavery be adopted into the western territories, but the northern states were committedcommited to white labor alone. Citation needed
An event that followed was the 1860 election in which Abraham Lincoln became the president of the United States. Following that event, all southern states felt they had lost all influence in governmental decision based on the fact that Abraham Lincoln was a Republican but was also anti-slavery. Abraham Lincoln was elected despite not being included in many of the other southern ballots that had taken place before and during the election. This election made the southern states incredibly nervous and to turn to other options. When they found out he was elected, Southern states had felt excluded from the political system in all.
The final event that led to the Civil War was the Southern states turning to secession. This secession meant that eleven southern states withdrew from the Union by 1861. This secession showed how the southern states felt about the federal government and their desire to make their own political decisions. In an effort to make a statement, the southern states utilized federal forts in South Carolina to convey their message. The Battle of Fort Sumter was where the South were the people that triggered the first shot that began the Civil War following Abraham’s skillful strategies.
The Civil War was a war between states that couldn’t compromise which led to the death of nearly 620,000 men. The southern states had issues with the federal governments decision to turn toward slavery abolishment and white labor only. This created tension between the northern and southern states as the southern states felt threatened that they had no authority in terms of political decisions. The southern states believed that the only option to regain their standing in the political system was to start a war. These events led to the Civil War and ultimately the end of many lives.
