Audrey Olschewski

History 1700
November 22, 2015
Final Draft
What are the Causes and Effects of the Civil War?
The Civil War is one of the most prominent wars in American history; the war that
decided America would stay united on a vast continent. Years of threats, bold differences and
bitter debate had finally led to confrontation on the battlefield. In April of 1861, Confederate
soldiers attacked Fort Sumter. As both Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis called for soldiers,
countless families and friendships were destroyed by conflicting loyalties, leading to the
nickname The Brothers War. As Theodore Upson recorded, Oh to think that I should have
lived to see the day when Brother would rise against Brother! The following summer proved to
be assiduous as neither the North or South were ready for a major war. The lack of preparatory
time lead to inexperienced and weak armies, doomed for failure. Nevertheless, a war The New
York Times had predicted to last only 30 days, turned into 4 long years (Hillstrom; 15-21). The
Civil War killed more men than any other American Battle other than World War 2, totaling
212,678 battlefield deaths (Naden; 9). To this day people talk about the war of a divided nation,
the prominent figures relevant thereto, the outcome and whimsical ponderings of what could
have been. The American Civil War was caused by the political, social and economical
differences between the North and South, and has sent ripple effects throughout American
history.
The causes of the Civil War are many, but one of the most prominent disputes was in just
how different the Northern and Southerners were. These differences were apparent in economics,

structures, opinions, and societies. For example the South had vast plantations. These plantations
required numerous able bodies to care for and harvest them; slaves made the southern economy
work. The North on the other hand, worked factories. Factories too require able workers, but the
north was able to get cheep workers from the immigrants flocking to America. (Naden; 16-19)
Opposing needs lead to opposing views and singular understandings. Additionally, different
economies and politics, the coming in of new states, the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise
of 1850, the Dred Scott case, the Nullification Crisis, Bleeding Kansas, John Brown, and the
election of Abraham Lincoln all played a part in building the tensions between North and South
which eventually led to war.
The differences between the North and South led to a power struggle. Each side feared
that if the other side were to gain power than their own ways would be destroyed. From the
beginning the North feared that the South had more hold in the government than they did. After
all, many of the beginning presidents and Supreme Court members were southern. To the South,
the North seemed more controlling, due to their larger population and greater infrastructure.
Additionally, in the request of new states the South was very lenient in letting people in, free or
slave. However, the North was quite adamant about refusing slave territories state titles as
though boxing up the south. The North would than gain power that the south had no influence in.
This helped convince the South that the Union was no longer of worth to them. After all, the
Union was created for the practical aid of both north and south, a purpose which was no longer
being met. Furthermore, throughout the American Civil War congress struggled with the
definition of their power in the perimeter of a Union. Can we just tell the people what to do and
make them? Do we have to offer them choices? Are we able to take away rights when we deem it
appropriate? What do the current amendments mean- does the Fifth Amendment ("No person

shallbe deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private
property be taken for public use, without just compensation.") apply to slaves? As the war broke
out two governments arose with two presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis.
In addition, many variations of political parties rose and fell within and around the Civil
War. The Republicans split into the Andrew Jackson party or Democrats and the Hamilton party
or the National Republicans. The National Republicans then died out and formed the Whig party.
Then in the 1850s the Whig party died out due in large part to the Kansas Nebraska incidents.
The Whig party is then replaced by the Republican party. This Republican party contributed
highly to the start of the American Civil War. The Republican party was the first major party that
was sectional, meaning located in geographical perimeters or in this case, the north. In conflict
with this was the Democratic party, which though mostly housed in the south, was still a
national party. When the Republican party was created, a pure northern notion, this signaled a
divide between the North and South. As time went on the differences became clear and deeper,
leading both sides to distrust the other. For the South, the rise of the Republican party became
terrifying. How could the support a political system that they couldnt trust? This Republican
party would keep its hold in the north for fifty years after the war, until the Northerners start
voting Democratic and the Southerners Republican.
The causes of the Civil War are often boiled down to one word, slavery. However, slavery
wasnt the original dispute of the Northerners, or if it was, it was for political and economical
reasons only. Simeon Norton of Connecticut put it this way, [the] Union never could have been
formed without tolerating slavery, and never can be restored without it. Even president
Abraham Lincoln was recorded as saying If I could save the Union without freeing any slaves, I
would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves, I would do it, and if I could do it by

freeing some and leaving others alone, I would also so that." It wasnt until the Union soldiers
started traveling through the South that they found slavery to be an accursed institution. The
release of Uncle Toms Cabin also served to changed slavery into a moral problem. Opinions
began to change. Like an Iowa private wrote, I believe that Slavery was the sole cause of this
Rebellion, and until this cause is removed and slavery abolished, the rebellion will continue
(Schomp; 27). Though the North at this point seemed to care some for the African Americans,
they began to fear the possibility that whites and blacks would be equal. Therefore, they sought
to limit opportunities for free blacks. Fear of major slave revolts lead to greater restrictions on
the lives of slaves. Slavery would end up being a reoccurring theme in the war, with Northerners
constantly fluctuating in their hatred toward slavery and their desire that man may live free
(Naden; 13-27).
The Louisiana Purchase, authorized by Thomas Jefferson, became the state of Louisiana,
as well as Missouri Territory. Seven Years later, 56,000 citizens and 10,000 slaves sought to
become the state of Missouri. With the incoming of new states, struggle resulted in trying to
decide whether to label the states as free or slave states. The North didnt want to admit another
slave state into the Union. Furthermore, they didnt want the counting of 3/5ths of its slaves to be
represented in Congress. The South, of course, supported Missouris petition. A New York
congressman named James Tallmadge proposed that after Missouri was brought into the Union,
no more slaves would be brought into the state, and all the slaves in Missouri would be given
their freedom at the age of 25. Obviously, the South was against this and debated on the federal
governments right to ban slavery in any part of the states. Congress was unable to pass this law,
and therefore adjourned. However, the topic was brought up again when Maine applied for
statehood. Therefore, Henry Clay of Kentucky stepped up and wrote the Missouri Compromise

of 1820. This compromise declared that Missouri would enter as a slave state and Maine as a free
state. The compromise was passed. Though the compromise of 1820 soothed feelings for a time,
the compromise had not solved any real problems. The Compromise would later be repealed in
1854 and declared unconstitutional in 1857 (Naden; 28-45).
Another cause of the Civil War was The Compromise of 1850. The Compromise of 1850
was proposed by Virginia Senator, Henry Clay. Clay proposed that California enter the Union as
a free state, that Texas gain some land from New Mexico, and that the rest of New Mexico and
Utah would be formed as territories wherein the people living there could choose whether or not
to own slaves. President Taylor opposed the compromise and wouldnt sign it. However, on July
8, 1850 Taylor suddenly died. Vice President, Millard Fillmore, was more moderate than Taylor,
and signed the Compromise of 1850 (Naden; 28-45). Congress had discussed the compromise for
eight months before finally passing the compromise. (OMuhr; 12-13). The Compromise of 1850
was enough to hold the Union together for another 10 years. But during this time, the North
experienced tremendous growth both in population and in manufacturing. These factors ended up
giving the North a great advantage when the Civil War finally broke out (Naden; 39).
The Compromise of 1850 also made the Fugitive Slave Act. This law required that people
turn in runaway slaves. Moreover, the Fugitive Slave Act took away slaves rights to trial.
Consequently, even free blacks could be accused of being an escaped slave and sent to the south.
Those who may have helped slaves, or sought to interfere with the proceedings would be charged
with large fines and prison sentences. The Fugitive Slave Act enraged those against slavery,
called abolitionists. They felt that the laws of slave states were being forced on the free states.
Because of these feelings, the antislavery movement grew stronger, leading to the Underground
Railroad (OMuhr; 13-14). Additionally, those who were not opposed to slaves began to see the

immorality of it. They sought to enact personal liberty laws in several Northern states. The
desires to create personal liberty laws made southerners feel threatened, and they declared that
Northerners could not be trusted to protect Southern rights. Northerners came to hate the
Fugitive Slave Act and both sides ended up unsatisfied with the Compromise of 1850.
(Epperson; 24)
Dred Scott was a slave from Missouri who lived with his owner in Illinois and Wisconsin
before moving back to Missouri. Because Illinois and Wisconsin territories were free according
to the Missouri Compromise, Scott believed he could go to court and fight for the freedom he
believed he had derived from living in those states. The ST. Louis Circuit Court declared him
free, but this freedom lasted only two years (Naden; 47). The matter came to the Missouri
Supreme Court, who ruled that slaves are not citizens; therefore, Dred Scott had no right to be in
the court room anyway. Furthermore, the court ruled that the issue of slavery should be deferred
to each states power, not to the federal government (OMuhr; 16).
The Nullification Crisis refers to the disputes over federal tariffs. The tariff was
implemented in order to protect the industry in the North. The South despised the tariff because it
made European imports far more costly. In response to this tariff, South Carolina started to
debate whether or not they should refuse to enforce the tariff. When another tariff was passed in
1832, South Carolina declared that both tariffs were null and void within their state. Congress, of
course, denied South Carolinas right to opt out. Then Congress gave Andrew Jackson
permission to do whatever he needed to in order to enforce the federal law. The Nullification
Crisis ended in 1833 when South Carolina found itself without the aid of other southern states,
and backed down (Dunne; 21).

In 1854, another act was introduced, The Kansas-Nebraska Act. The bill sought to open
up both Kansas and Nebraska territories for settling. Additionally, the territories would be able to
decide for themselves whether they wanted to become slave or free states. However, this idea of
popular sovereignty interfered with the Missouri Compromise because both Kansas and
Nebraska were to be north of the established line, making them free states. The Kansas-Nebraska
Act led to Bleeding Kansas, which was the outbreak of war on the Kansas prairie. Pro-slavery
and abolitionists fought to take control of the Kansas territory. As a result of threats and violence,
Kansas elected pro-slavery delegates to congress and the legislature. Later investigation showed
that pro-slavery ballots cast were fraudulent. Despite this, the territorial governor refused to call
a new election and laws were passed permitting only pro-slavery men to hold public offices. On
May 21, 1856, about 700 pro-slavery men rode through the prairie sacking the town. Other
groups took 5 Pro-slavery men from their homes and killed them. This Kansas warfare lasted 4
months (Epperson; 29-34).
John Brown was a farmer who sought to end slavery through violence and uprisings. A
complex character, many claimed him mad (even his own family), and a murderer. Others
claimed he was a saint. Historians have come to believe that he was not insane, but immensely
dedicated to, even obsessed with his cause (Naden; 49-55). Originally, John Brown was a
member of the Underground Railroad. However, as he got older he became more zealous in his
hatred of slavery and felt ordained by God to end it (Dunne; 34). He gathered some followers
and killed several slavery supporters in Kansas. Then on October 16, 1859, Brown and his
followers broke into a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (Epperson; 43). They took
weapons and encouraged slaves to rise up against their masters. Brown hoped to take over the
south with his intended army, and he was confident more would join. He said, When I strike the

bees will swarm (Naden; 51). On December 2, Brown was captured and hanged. Abolitionists
mourned his death because, though they condemned his actions, they praised the man. As
abolitionist Reverend Henry Ward Beecher said of Brown, His soul was noble; his work
miserable (Naden; 54). John Browns death led others to wonder if violence was the answer to
defeating slavery. (OMuhr; 17). The south reacted with great fear. If well-know abolitionists and
common northerners were praising Brown, how much longer until a slave rebellion?
Furthermore, how can Northerners support a man who killed so many Southerners? As a
Richmond editor remarked, [John Browns execution] advanced the cause of disunion more
than any eventsince the formation of the government (Dunne; 35).
Abraham Lincoln was one of four candidates in the election of 1860, and by this time
America was basically two separate countries (McDonald; 24-25). Lincoln was known to have
moderate views on slavery, which is why the Republicans choose him as their candidate. Lincoln
was against slavery, but he wasnt fanatical about it. There were times however, when he seemed
to switch opinions, or just sit on the middle fence. At times he would preach against blacks
working in politics, voting or intermarrying. Other times he claimed that blacks should have all
the natural rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence. His views on slavery were
not as steadfast as his purpose; above all to preserve the union. Therefore, in many of his
speeches Lincoln agreed to allow the slave states their slaves, but to contain it therein. Therefore,
the election of Abraham Lincoln to president became the last straw for several southern states.
Newspapers wrote They have robbed us of our property and finally they have capped the
mighty pyramid of unfraternal enormities by thus electing Abraham Lincoln on a platform and
by a system which indicates nothing but the subjugation of the south and the complete ruin of her
social, political and industrial institutions.(Naden; 57-65) With the election of Abraham Lincoln

(who did not receive any southern vote), southerners felt hopeless and voiceless. Then southern
states began to secede in what Lincoln called simply a wicked exercise of physical power and
formed The Confederate States of America. In an effort to contain the loyalty of border states
Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri, Lincoln waited to act on his desire to free slaves. However,
after the victory of Antietam Lincoln felt ready to shift the purpose of the war from restoring the
Union to ending slavery: In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free... On
January 1, 1863 he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, a move that abolitionists had been
waiting for. The Emancipation Proclamation freed all slaves in areas that were against the United
States (Dunne; 39). This move bought the loyalty of many African Americans and led to black
armies such as the 54th Massachusetts.
After the war, Abraham Lincoln set up a Reconstruction movement. He sought to repair
the damage that had been done, both in the land and in the people. Additionally, congress created
the Freedmans Bureau to set up jobs, hospitals and schools for blacks in the south (OMuhr; 2630). However, in the rebuilding process many blacks would suffer from old patterns, segregation
and discrimination. These changes were brought to an abrupt stop when, on April 14, 1865,
Abraham Lincoln was shot by Confederate spy John Wilkes Booth at Fords Theater. Because of
this, Vice president Andrew Johnson took up the chair and promised to continue the
Reconstruction. But Johnsons reconstruction proved to be reminiscent of old problems. He
created black codes wherein blacks were allowed to be whipped by employers and the
unemployed were thrown in jail. Black children were taken and forced to work (Naden 49). This
is because, though southern governments were required to grant rights to former slaves, they still
wanted to keep African Americans in a subordinate position. Former slaves were now allowed to
own property, marry and use courts, but the black codes also contained discriminatory laws. For

example, African Americans were required to sign yearly labor contracts, were restricted in
travel and speech, and were not allowed to purchase non-agricultural land and own guns. Their
labor would be sold at public auctions to repay fines that were heavily thrust on them (Dunne;
342). Then around 1865, continued hatred toward African Americans resulted in the formation of
the Ku Klux Klan. The Ku Klux Klan was a white supremacy group that wanted to limit black
political rights. As the Ku Klux Klan grew, more and more southerners of all classes came
together to limit the changes introduced by the Reconstruction. To accomplish all this, Klan
members used violence, intimidation and murder. They were easily recognized for their white
robe and hood which hid their identity. Eventually the Ku Klux Klan came to attack whites who
aided blacks, institutions that sought to aid African Americans, schools and churches. By the
time Klan members were convicted and suppressed, blacks had stopped voting and the
Republican Party was extremely weakened in the south (Dunne; 342).
Additional efforts to create equality were demolished as more and more African
Americans were placed in segregated positions, locations and employments. New policies were
set up preventing African Americans from voting. These consequences of the civil war, and
future Civil Rights movements led to the fifteenth amendment. This amendment states that no
citizen could be kept from voting on account of race, and though the North supported the
Emancipation of slaves, putting the fifteenth amendment in effect proved divisive. The Violence
of the Ku Klux Klan and the Dred Scott decision led to two more constitutional amendments; the
thirteenth and fourteenth. The thirteenth amendment abolished slavery and the fourteenth
amendment declares that all born in the United States, regardless of race or previous slave
condition, are U.S. citizens with all the rights thereof (Naden 49). Additionally, the American
Civil War increased federal expense, setting a precedence for increased government expenditure.

Government spending has never gone back to pre-war spending. Then Lincoln, by not allowing
people to succeed in a sense, destroyed a union and an opportunity for demonstrating freedom.
The founding fathers idea of a union was destroyed in a sense, in order to keep the geographical
union. The union was no longer a union of voluntary states, but now a giant state, a consolidated
republic. We created Federalism, but it has turned into nationalism, a whole new state. The whole
nature of the Union changed. The view of the Union changed from states who came together to
create a union, to a union that created states. Additionally, Lincoln set a presidential precedent
that presidents can do whatever they want or feel they have to do in times of trouble. He
strengthened the executive powers. After the Civil War the people were no longer able to
determine the meaning of the constitution, but the Supreme Court. Moreover, income tax was
created in the Civil War which was originally abhorred by the founding fathers. Also during the
Civil War, both the North and South printed money freely, un-backed by gold, as well as the
military draft which options were not listed in the constitution. Furthermore, the original
Hamiltonian political party has gained ground, and transformed the United States. Then Civil
War changed the general rules of war, creating a total war with greater technology and targeting
of citizens. With enhanced American exceptionalism and pride the United States became the selfappointed agents of freedom and perfection.
Other effects of the civil war were far more than the 620,000 dead from war, terror and
disease or the thousands of broken families. Confederate soldiers returned home to poverty and
incredible devastation. Farms and factories had been burned, railroads destroyed and towns
evacuated. Though the North suffered a third more casualties then the South, they would soon
receive industrial and economic growth, while the South had 60 percent of their economy
destroyed (Dunne; 330, 335). In the North, many soldiers were discontented with returning

home. As Ulysses S. Grant said, They were not satisfied with the farm, the store, or the
workshop of the villages, but wanted larger fields. Thousands of these restless young men
would later become the settlers of the Far West (Schomp; 71-72).
In conclusion, the American Civil War was a long time coming. The causes of the Civil
War were slowly developed through years of bitter debate and rising tensions between the North
and South. With exhausted solutions and enraged passion, war broke out. Because of the war a
new era was opened with the union preserved. This is not to say peace immediately reigned.
More like one side became subjugated to the other. Even to this day wounds between the North
and South exist. Wishes to secede still come up in the news from time to time, and African
Americans would still face prejudices and injustices after the war. The American Civil War has
created a ripple effect in our nations identity and in developing the United States standards or
beliefs; going so far as to even change the description of a Union.

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Hillstrom, Kevin, and Laurie Collier Hillstrom. American Civil War: Primary Sources.
Farmington Hills: Gale Group, 2000. Print.
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