The American Dream tells the story of the rise from poverty and oppression to a new life of freedom and prosperity. More than anything else, America offers hope. Stories that follow the trek of those in search of the American Dream provide inspiration. Immigrants come to this country from all over the world in search of a better life and a new start. Though America is the land of opportunity, balancing the opportunities available to all of its citizens has been a major challenge throughout its history. America is a nation of ingenuity and innovation but it has often come at the expense of others. The unique racial history of the United States has been a focal point for some of the greatest conflicts experienced by the country. Because America has served as a refuge for others coming from varying countries, racial diversity has always been present within the country. Few events changed the course of United States' history more than the Civil War. While on its surface the war seems like an easily explainable event based on a disagreement regarding slavery, a much more in-depth dynamic existed that led to the conflict. Understanding the occurrences within the country that influenced to go to war, along with the examining stated reasons of both parties provides a more comprehensive analysis of the true nature of the conflict.
Many of the events that led up to the Civil War were also direct causes. During the mid-eighteenth century, America was in state of flux due to the ever changing conditions of society. Following the timeline of events from 1848-1861, a clear series of happenings built up until war was eventually reached. In 1848, the Mexican-American War was coming to an end and the changes that resulted impacted Americans greatly. The most import result of the war was that the United States now had a great amount of territory to the west. The issue that ensued was what exactly to do with the land and how to determine the legislation that would govern it. As the land was divided up into states, the country had to decide the role that slavery would play in the new states. Because there was a great debate over this issue, Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 which divided the newly acquired territory into California, New Mexico, and Utah. While the simple division of the land was an issue, the larger problem of determining the role of slavery in these states was still present. The resulting legislation admitted California as a free state and allowed those in New Mexico and Utah to choose for themselves. Popular sovereignty refers to the idea that states were allowed to determine the specific place of slavery within their jurisdiction (Nichols 451). Another main occurrence that led to a greater division between the North and South over slavery was the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act. The act was passed as a portion of the Compromise of 1850 and was the most controversial part of the legislation. The law required all federal officials to help pursue fugitive slaves and return them to their masters. Federal official even of free states were also required to participate and the law even allowed citizens of free states to be summoned to help in the pursuit as well. The Compromise of 1850 along with the Fugitive Slave Act were both leading reasons for the Confederacy and the Union to go to war. The anti-slavery states argued that Fugitive Slave Act was clearly pro-slavery and required the free states to utilize resources for a cause they did not believe in. As well, pro-slavery states argued that the inclusion of California as a free state pushed the balance of power towards the anti-slavery states as a whole.
Following the timeline of events leading up the to American Civil War, another significant event occurred in 1852 as the author Harriet Beecher Stowe released the work Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly. Stowe was a teacher by trade and an active abolitionist who wrote the work to speak out against the negativity of slavery. By writing about the traditional situation in which slaves were placed in, Stowe was able to change the manner in which slavery was viewed and strengthened the anti-slavery views help by those in the North. Further legislation passed in 1854, created the first documented a significant violence between pro and anti-slavery states. The Compromise of 1850 introduced the idea of popular sovereignty and allowed states to determine for themselves if they wished to implement slavery. New Mexico and Utah were the first territories that were able to exercise this right and after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, both Kansas and Nebraska were provided the opportunity to utilize popular sovereignty. "Bleeding Kansas" became the manner in which the violence that occurred between Northerners and Southerners regarding slavery in the state of Kansas was referred to. The Kansas-Nebraska Act overturned the Missouri Compromise which stated that no new states would contain slavery. The debate over this issue turned violent as both anti and pro-slavery immigrants relocated to Kansas. Small battles raged throughout the state as various groups attempted to make their beliefs known. One of the most publicized events in Bleeding Kansas occurred in 1858 when "Border Ruffians" attacked the city of Lawrence, Kansas which was widely known to be free from slavery (Jones 112). The violence over the views regarding slavery affected even established politicians as pro-slavery Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Charles Sumner with a cane after Sumner had given a speech attacking the pro-slavery forces for the violence occurring in Kansas. This occurred one day after the city of Lawrence was attacked which reflects the depth of the emotion of both parties.
The next important occurrence that led to the Civil War was in 1857 and is referred to as the Dred Scott decision. The issue revolved around the slave, Dred Scott, who lost a court decision regarding his freedom. While being in a free state, Scott was still being held as a slave by his owner. The ruling of the court was that because Scott was not a property owner, his case could not go forward. As well, the general finding of the court stated that though he was in a free state, he was still considered a slave because he was the property of his owner. Abolitionists used this ruling to fuel their argued regarding the legal consideration of slaves. As noted with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the territories were free to practice popular sovereignty which afforded them the chance to determine if slavery would be present in the region. Since the state was free to make the decision, many forms of the state's constitution were drafted to include the varying viewpoints (Curry 89). In 1857, the Lecompton Constitution was passed as a pro-slavery constitution that allowed for the practice to be implemented within the state of Kansas. While the constitution was passed on the state level, it still had to be approved by Congress. Due to the opposition present, the United States government sent the constitution back to be voted on by the state again. Eventually, the constitution was rejected and Kansas gained statehood as a free state.
One of the most notable and important events occurred on October 16, 1859. John Brown was a well known abolitionist who had been involved in various instances of violence in Kansas during the uprisings there. After events in Kansas, he took up the cause in Virginia as he led a group of men in an attempt to capture buildings and begin a slave revolt there. Though he was eventually captured and hanged, his actions were one of the first documented of aggressive violence aimed at slaveholders and their belongings (Moore 223). Another major event prior to the Civil War occurred on November 6, 1860, as Abraham Lincoln was elected President. The election of Lincoln caused a total of six states to leave the union. Lincoln held a combination of unique views regarding slavery. Knowing the Constitution of the United States, Lincoln thought that it would be difficult to garner the support needed to change the manner in which slaves were referred to for legal purposes. Because of this, Lincoln was only considered a moderate abolitionist since he viewed that totally removing slavery was highly unlikely. Rather than outlawing slavery, Lincoln wished to prevent its expansion to western territories and new states within the country.
While there were many occurrences that led up the Civil War, not all of them were direct causes. In combination, the happenings had enough power to lead anti and pro slavery forces against each other. One such set of conditions was reflected by the economic situations of those in the South when compared to those in the North. The main difference was found in the basic attitudes held by the regions regarding economics. The South was focused on solely growing cotton because of the advantages of the region. The North, on the other hand, focused on growing crops for consumption. As well, the North was purchasing the raw cotton from the South to make goods and as a main source of income to the Northern economy. The North became more industrial based and formed cities around the factories while the South remained more rural with life occurring around the plantation. Without slavery in the North, social and business interactions adapted and evolved between the races. In the South, the old hierarchical system remained in place as slaves provided the labor for the fields (North 49).
Another main cause for the Civil War was founded in the idea of the power of each state. A power struggle resulted as both the states and federal government wished to control specific aspects of daily life. While states have the right to govern themselves, the federal government argued that some issues had to be regulated at the national level. During the battle over slavery, many compromises were drafted to allow states to determine if they wanted slavery. These ideas led directly into the argument between pro and anti slavery proponents. The Missouri Compromise passed in 1820 made a rule that prohibited slavery in states from the former Louisiana Purchase the latitude 36 degrees 30 minutes north except in Missouri. Another type of legislation passed in the form of the Compromise of 1850. It allowed California to enter the union as a free state and introduced the idea of popular sovereignty to New Mexico and Utah which allowed them to determine for themselves if they wanted slavery. Things become more complicated with the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act which directly overruled the Missouri Compromise by allowing Kansas popular sovereignty as well. As seen, there was a great deal of politics being played by both sides of the slavery debate. Because there was no consensus on the issue, it was only natural that conflict would occur and did so in Kansas as both pro and anti slavery immigrants settled on the land in the hope popular sovereignty being decided in their favor.
A final reason for the Civil War was the increase in the abolitionist movement. As life in the North continued to evolve and as minorities became a necessary component of society, views grew more negative towards the south. Many specific events such as the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act, and the decision in the Dred Scott Case made many in the North speak out about their cause.
It is difficult to determine if the Civil War was inevitable and it depends on the viewpoints being considered. There is always an option of not to go to war when it is presented. In this case, the North could have decided not to go to war and it would have resulted in the northern states being much like the current United States. The South would have continued to have slavery and it is unclear how the southern states would have evolved over time. Many issues would have resulted had the North not gone to war. Specific government functions and entities would have needed to be divided between the North and South for both sides to continue to operate. It can be argued that the war was inevitable if the North wanted to abolish slavery and limit the rights of states to implement slavery as well. The decision came down the North either wanting to keep the Union together or go along with their own views in a separate country. It would seem that the easier decision would be not to risk becoming part of a slave nation in the South had they lost, by winning the Civil War, the North created a stronger country overall and lead to the abolishment of the institution of slavery.
