The American Civil War was indeed a devastating happening for the country in numerous ways. The war led to many deaths with the country experiencing one of the most devastating aspects of the same in this period. This paper aims at analyzing in in-depth the possible causes and events which in one way or another influenced the start of this war.
The election of Abraham Lincoln as the President on November 6, 1860 is a factor that led to the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican candidate. Following the election of the president, around seven states including South Carolina, seceded from the union. South Carolina had indeed indicated that they would secede if he won the election. On the other hand, Lincoln came into a consensus with the larger part of the Republican Party members that the South was indeed becoming too powerful. Therefore, they made it part of their undertaking that slavery should not be extended to any new regions added to the union. This factor directly led to the revolt and consequently the Civil War.
The undertakings of abolitionists in the country also led to the war. For instance, John Brown a faithful abolitionist had been involved in the anti slavery violence in Kansas. In 1859, he convincingly led a batch of seventeen young interracial men into raiding the arsenal located in Virginia. However, he did not achieve his intended objective. He and his group of men were surrounded and killed by Colonel Robert’s troops. This situation is an example of one of the abolitionists’ movement whose actions lead to the Civil War.
The bleeding Kansas situation is one factor that led to the Civil War. One of the most known events in regard to the Bleeding Kansas is when the border Ruffians attacked and ransacked Lawrence, Kansas. Barely an hour later after this situation, violence broke out in the region. Pro slavery Congressman attacked his rival with a cane in public while delivering a speech. The resulting turmoil in a way led to the cold war.
The passing of the Kansas-Nebraska act gave the two sides authority to make their own decisions based as territories independent of each other. One of the key decisions to be made was on the issue of slavery. The decision by Kansas led to a lot of war in the state eventually resulting directly to the civil war.
The Haitian Revolution led to the emergence of two competing narratives in the United States that directly competed for the legacy of the revolution. One of them laid emphasis on the violent actions against white men that were disrespectful to the slaves. The revolution widely enhanced the fighting spirit of American slaves and eventually catapulted into the civil war.
The Bacon’s Rebellion also had a direct influence to the civil war. The rebellion arose from the leadership of Nathaniel Bacon. He accused the governing state of failing to protect their plantations from Native Americans. Under his leadership, he formed an army to fight the actions of raiding tribes. The consequent wars between Berkeley and Bacon’s men were severe. The violence consequently even led to the burning of the city.
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 had provisions that forced any officer of the federal government who failed to arrest a slave on the run liable to being fined. Consequently, numerous abolitionists increased their activity against the government, a factor that led to the Civil War.
The Louisiana Purchase is definitely one of the largest land deals in history. The United States government paid up to $ 15 million for close to 800000 square miles of land. The deal according to Thomas Jefferson was the greatest achievement of his tenure. However, the intricate inside patterns that resulted from this process consequently influenced some wars that eventually led to the Civil War.
The Nullification Crisis refers to the crisis experienced during Andrew Jackson’s tenure. It lied on the question of whether given states could refuse to recognize or enforce federal laws passed by the government. Whether it influenced the start up of the Civil War cannot be refuted. Indeed, it was a dramatic indication and gesture in defense of Rights of States. This is the basic reason that influenced the Civil War.
The Mexican-American War refers to the conflict between Mexico and the United States from 1846-1848. Mexico considered that Texas was a part of it despite the Texas Revolution in the past periods. Though Mexico was later going to accept Rio Grande as its border, the consequences of the war were diverse. The aftermath of the war raised the issue of slavery in the United States thereby introducing slavery debates that led to the Civil War.
There are numerous reasons and cases that led to the Civil War. Though the events harmoniously contributed to the start up of the war, it is true that the weight and effect of each situation varies. From a personal perspective, the abolitionists’ actions highly contributed to the Civil War. The abolitionists were ruthless individuals who employed the use of severe force on others with different opinions. To a large extent the abolitionists are the ones who not only instigated the start up of the war, but also substantially contributed diversely into its further fueling.
Evidently, the Civil War was not a planned event in the minds of the key players of its onset. However, there are a number of diverse and probably unrelated situations that led to the start up of the war. Some of the reasons and possible causes of the war are not discussed in the paper. Considering the relevance of the war to the American citizens, the study and comprehension of the situation is indeed a vital undertaking.
