The Causes Of The Civil War

ASU HST 200 (Historical Themes) The Civil War, 1860–1865 The Causes Of The Civil War Lincoln's election did not start the Civil War, but it did fan the flames of southern secession fervor. Before Lincoln became president, the nation's divides along racial lines had been growing for decades. Intense rhetoric and agitation were used by both the Northern and Southern states, and violent feelings were prevalent in both camps. The final division of the country into the North and the South was influenced by several reasons. A major source of contention was the issue of slavery's westward migration. The discussion surrounding the statehood of Texas in the 1830s and early 1840s and Missouri starting in 1819 dated back to the question of whether new states would be free or slave states. Following the Mexican-American War (1846–1848), the administration discussed whether or not slavery would be allowed in the lands gained from Mexico. This subject came up once more. The idea of popular sovereignty— allowing the people in the new territories south of the 1820 Missouri Compromise line to determine whether to allow slavery—was the foundation of congressional efforts to negotiate a compromise in 1850. The Missouri Compromise border was destroyed and the Republican Party was founded when this similar idea was extended to the Kansas and Nebraska territories in 1854, stoking sectional animosity. Ultimately, popular sovereignty turned out to be very unhelpful. This was particularly true during the mid1850s "Bleeding Kansas" conflict, as pro- and anti-slavery factions fought for control. The tiny but vociferous abolitionist movement added to the growing hostilities between the North and the South. Abolitionists, spearheaded by reformer and journalist William Lloyd Garrison, had been arguing for the urgent abolition of slavery since the 1830s, seeing it as a national evil. By raising awareness of the negative effects of slavery, abolitionists—a small minority even within the antislavery movement—had a profound impact on American culture for thirty years. Some of the most radical abolitionists, like John Brown, had turned to violence by the 1850s in their quest to end the system of slavery. The issue became firmly entrenched in politics with the founding of the Republican Party (1854), the Free-Soil Party (1848), and the Liberty Party (1840), all of which were adamantly opposed to the introduction of slavery to the West. While some opponents of slavery's westward spread were not really abolitionists, the attempt to restrict slaveholders' ownership of their human property made southern leaders more determined to protect their system at all costs. They contended that preventing the spread of slavery went against the core principles of American property rights. People from all political persuasions were concerned that the nation's disagreements would permanently sever national bonds. By the 1860s, there was still some optimism for the nation to mend despite the rifts and tensions. John Crittenden, a Kentucky senator who had assisted in founding the Constitutional Union Party in the 1860 presidential contest, tried to diffuse the explosive situation prior to Lincoln's ascension to office by proposing a package of resolutions and six constitutional amendments, which became known as the Crittenden Compromise. Crittenden's plan was to change the Constitution to specifically safeguard slavery indefinitely in order to prevent the South from seceding. In particular, Crittenden suggested a change that would reinstate the Missouri Compromise's 36°30′ boundary and extend it all the way to the Pacific Ocean, guaranteeing and preserving slavery south of the line but outlawing it north. In addition, he put up an amendment that would forbid Congress from interfering with the interstate slave trade or from outlawing slavery in any jurisdictions where it already existed. Republicans opposed Crittenden's ideas because they went against the party line of preventing slavery from entering the territories, which included President-elect Lincoln. Crittenden's attempts at compromise were also rejected by the southern states because they would have made it illegal for slaveholders to transport their human property north of the 36°30′ line. South Carolina started the march towards war on December 20, 1860, just a few days after Crittenden's plan was presented in Congress. South Carolina had seceded from the United States. Before the U.S. Senate rejected Crittenden's plan on January 16, 1861, three additional Deep South states—Mississippi, Florida, and Alabama—seceded. Quickly following them on January 19, January 26, and February 1, respectively, were Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. These secessions frequently followed sharply split conventions and popular votes. In most of the South, there was a lack of consensus.