Causes Of War Essay

Question 1

Intro

Answer 1

• Sectionalism
• Republican
• Secession
• P1: Slavery, Schlesinger Jr + Nevins + Rhodes
• P2: Blundering Generation, Buchanan
• P3: Economic Differences, Beards + Davis

Question 2

P1: Slavery

Answer 2

Fears of Expansion:
- Kansas Nebraska overruled 1820 Comp
- Bleeding Kansas enduring first violence over slavery
Slavery delicate issue:
- Douglas v Lincoln debates
- Importance of slavery in politics/Republicans

H:
- Schlesinger Jr, North moved to the battlefield by moral disgust of slavery
- Nevins, main root of the conflict was race and slavery

Question 3

P2: Blundering generation

Answer 3

1860 Democrat Convention, South Carolina:
- Chance for D’s to unite against republicans
- Douglas had alienated South by supporting illegitimate slavery in Kansas as they were embarrassed by fraud
- Northern D’s blocked bill protecting slave owners rights
- Southern D’s walked out, splitting party in two
1860 Election:
- Lincoln didn’t appear on Southern ballots
- Lincoln won with 40% of popular vote but none from South

H:
- Buchanan, blamed “irresponsible politicians” for election crisis but unreliable as he was involved and the south abandonded him
- Rhodes, the ACW was caused by a single cause, slavery.

Question 4

P3: Economic differences

Answer 4

Different Economies:
- King Cotton
- 1860 Massachusetts produced more manufactured goods than all of Confederate states together
- McPherson, inevitably most of the profits of king cotton went into Yankee pockets.
- Republican Convention, Chicago, called for higher Tariffs

H:
- Beards, two economies were to different to coincide
- Davis, refuted any and all claims slavery was the main cause but that the war was engineered to further Northern economy:
- Can be considered as Lincoln didn’t control Supreme Court so no immediate pressure from slavery. And still had laws like fugitive slave act before seceding.