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Causes of the Civil War

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Causes of the Civil War
What were some of the causes of the Civil War? One thing that caused it was States v.s Federal Rights . Economic and Social issues, and the election of Abraham Lincoln. When President Lincoln was elected in 1860, south Carolina issued its Declaration of the causes of succession. They believed that Lincoln was against slavery, and was in favor of Northern interests. Before Lincoln even became president seven states had already seceded from the union. The states was Florida, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Texas and Louisiana. Even though Lincoln was against slavery that didn’t fit to well with the southern states. Economic and Social issues was another thing that caused the civil war. As America began to expand, first with the lands gained from the Louisiana purchase and later with the Mexican War, the question of whether new states admitted to the union would be slave or free. The Missouri promise that passed in 1820 prohibited slavery. During the Mexican War, conflict started about what would happen with the new territories that the U.S expected to gain upon victory. Another issue that increased tension was the Kansas & Nebraska Act of 1854. It created two new territories that would allow the states to use popular sovereignty to determine whether they would be free or slave. The real issue occurred in Kansas where proslavery Missourians began to pour into the state to help force it to be slave. States v.s federal rights was another problem. The first organized government in the US after the American Revolution was under the Articles of Confederation. The thirteen states formed a loose confederation with a very weak federal government. When problems arose, the weakness of this form of government caused the leaders of the time to come together at the Constitutional Convention and create the U.S Constitution. Many felt that the new constitution ignored the rights of states to continue to act independently. They felt that the states should still have


Cited: Curtis, Jerry. "The Election of Abraham Lincoln as a Cause of the Civil War - by Jerry Curtis Helium."Helium - Where Knowledge Rules. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. . Kelly, Martin. "Top Five Causes of the Civil War."American History From About. Web. 11 Feb. 2011. .
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