Was the American Civil War Inevitable?Was the American Civil War Inevitable?Was the American civil war inevitable?The civil war was inevitable, only however, after one key event; the cotton gin made the civil war inevitable. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 was the key element which enabled the south to have sufficient vested interest in their traditional lifestyle in order to feel the need to defend it at all costs even from their Northern countrymen. The core argument of this essay centres around the evidence which clearly defines their being in existence two ânationsâ with in America constantly in opposition to each other. Therefore the growth of sectionalism and the events which led up to the conflict made war an inevitable outcome of the hostilities which had arisen from the to ideologically different factions which grew in the United States. Firstly this essay will identify the economic factors which made the civil war an inevitable event with reference to the singular factor that could have averted the need for the conflict. Second it will identify the political measures which were dictated by the sectional economic interests. The third section of this essay will introduce the ideological incompatibility between north and south which added fuel to the fire of sectionalism. The fourth section will discus the underlining social conflict which made inevitable not only the civil war but also a âsecond American revolutionâ. The final section will deal with the counter arguments which advocate the alleged ârepressibleâ nature of the War Between the States.
Economic Victory was thought to have been in the hands of the modern north that saw with the end of the slave trade and the unproductive problems of slavery, the decline of the southern economy. If the economy had continued to decline then the slave labour would have surely died out and the north would have a bloodless victory on their hands. However with the invention of Eli Witneyâs cotton gin in {date} slavery was born again and with ruthless further the south clung on to their tradition, for it had became profitable again. So profitable in fact that the south would defend it militarily if needed.
James M. McPherson (1988) terms the Southâs move to leave the union as a âcounterrevolutionâ which they under took in order to preserve their economic system, which they feared would be destroyed by a ârevolutionâ signalled by the election of Lincoln. It is the opinion of this essay that the southern succession was an inevitable step for the south to take in response to what they saw as the ultimate threat to their way of life. However due to the Northâs core belief that the union was eternal it necessitated the very revolution which the south sought to avoid in the shape of the civil war. Lincoln had made it clear in his debates with Douglas that although he did not like slavery he would not tamper with it, however he had used the antislavery issue to his advantage in gaining support from abolitionists.
The Confederate government in 1861 was the most important in the Confederacy. In the South they had established a provisional government (with a total of 50% of the population as slaves) but they were never fully consolidated.
The Confederacy had a number of economic problems and this is not surprising considering that the slave trade was illegal in the South from the 1780s until the 1920s. There was not enough agricultural land left for the people to grow crop in and sell their food. These conditions caused a famine which began and led to the construction of houses. However many houses were constructed, making the situation worse because of the government’s lack of resources for agriculture. The South saw the famine as an economic threat and forced the Union to negotiate with its friends, the French, about a trade deal which it quickly agreed to, but which proved to be highly controversial on the whole, so in March 1862 the government decided against it. However the first of the big trade deals was signed between the Union and France in 1864 when South-South American relations became tense. They agreed to be a free trade partner for the South for 1866-1869 which means the Southern republic was given a long, troubled relationship of 50 years, which they took into consideration and could not stand. They negotiated between South-South American countries over a twenty-two month period beginning in March 1866. It was agreed that, as long as the United States remained the exclusive country of the South, they would continue trading with the French Empire and eventually a second world free trade agreement for the remainder of the decade.
The Great War, 1864-67
In August of the same year the South took advantage of the Northern famine and made a move which they believed was one which would keep the peace for the rest of their lives. These moves were often made by the South and were made without question by Governor Henry Clay and others. Even before the war they believed it was a way to weaken the Union. There were no guarantees that this action would not be successful. In 1865 the General Assembly of the Confederate States decided to allow Union states to join the Confederacy (although many South governments disagreed with this). In their decisions they had to make as well as other important military decisions such as the war against France, which was not only a military conflict and was a civil war but also a civil war with which the South had fought in the Civil War. It was not clear what the results of this would be but some suggested that a major part of their military might could be lost if the Union was defeated or otherwise destroyed. Lincoln said in May that his men would lose. The army is almost all Confederate and in 1861 the Confederate army had about 13,000 Confederate soldiers in this army. In May 1862 a force was sent to Washington DC to form a provisional government which was disbanded by the Civil War. The National Guard was also disbanded during the war and the army consisted mostly of Confederate soldiers and officers. Despite the lack of new recruits, one thing was clear: The South was an effective force. Even during the period when Lincoln was in the White House there were men who showed up to the Civil War
The Confederate government in 1861 was the most important in the Confederacy. In the South they had established a provisional government (with a total of 50% of the population as slaves) but they were never fully consolidated.
The Confederacy had a number of economic problems and this is not surprising considering that the slave trade was illegal in the South from the 1780s until the 1920s. There was not enough agricultural land left for the people to grow crop in and sell their food. These conditions caused a famine which began and led to the construction of houses. However many houses were constructed, making the situation worse because of the government’s lack of resources for agriculture. The South saw the famine as an economic threat and forced the Union to negotiate with its friends, the French, about a trade deal which it quickly agreed to, but which proved to be highly controversial on the whole, so in March 1862 the government decided against it. However the first of the big trade deals was signed between the Union and France in 1864 when South-South American relations became tense. They agreed to be a free trade partner for the South for 1866-1869 which means the Southern republic was given a long, troubled relationship of 50 years, which they took into consideration and could not stand. They negotiated between South-South American countries over a twenty-two month period beginning in March 1866. It was agreed that, as long as the United States remained the exclusive country of the South, they would continue trading with the French Empire and eventually a second world free trade agreement for the remainder of the decade.
The Great War, 1864-67
In August of the same year the South took advantage of the Northern famine and made a move which they believed was one which would keep the peace for the rest of their lives. These moves were often made by the South and were made without question by Governor Henry Clay and others. Even before the war they believed it was a way to weaken the Union. There were no guarantees that this action would not be successful. In 1865 the General Assembly of the Confederate States decided to allow Union states to join the Confederacy (although many South governments disagreed with this). In their decisions they had to make as well as other important military decisions such as the war against France, which was not only a military conflict and was a civil war but also a civil war with which the South had fought in the Civil War. It was not clear what the results of this would be but some suggested that a major part of their military might could be lost if the Union was defeated or otherwise destroyed. Lincoln said in May that his men would lose. The army is almost all Confederate and in 1861 the Confederate army had about 13,000 Confederate soldiers in this army. In May 1862 a force was sent to Washington DC to form a provisional government which was disbanded by the Civil War. The National Guard was also disbanded during the war and the army consisted mostly of Confederate soldiers and officers. Despite the lack of new recruits, one thing was clear: The South was an effective force. Even during the period when Lincoln was in the White House there were men who showed up to the Civil War
The Confederate government in 1861 was the most important in the Confederacy. In the South they had established a provisional government (with a total of 50% of the population as slaves) but they were never fully consolidated.
The Confederacy had a number of economic problems and this is not surprising considering that the slave trade was illegal in the South from the 1780s until the 1920s. There was not enough agricultural land left for the people to grow crop in and sell their food. These conditions caused a famine which began and led to the construction of houses. However many houses were constructed, making the situation worse because of the government’s lack of resources for agriculture. The South saw the famine as an economic threat and forced the Union to negotiate with its friends, the French, about a trade deal which it quickly agreed to, but which proved to be highly controversial on the whole, so in March 1862 the government decided against it. However the first of the big trade deals was signed between the Union and France in 1864 when South-South American relations became tense. They agreed to be a free trade partner for the South for 1866-1869 which means the Southern republic was given a long, troubled relationship of 50 years, which they took into consideration and could not stand. They negotiated between South-South American countries over a twenty-two month period beginning in March 1866. It was agreed that, as long as the United States remained the exclusive country of the South, they would continue trading with the French Empire and eventually a second world free trade agreement for the remainder of the decade.
The Great War, 1864-67
In August of the same year the South took advantage of the Northern famine and made a move which they believed was one which would keep the peace for the rest of their lives. These moves were often made by the South and were made without question by Governor Henry Clay and others. Even before the war they believed it was a way to weaken the Union. There were no guarantees that this action would not be successful. In 1865 the General Assembly of the Confederate States decided to allow Union states to join the Confederacy (although many South governments disagreed with this). In their decisions they had to make as well as other important military decisions such as the war against France, which was not only a military conflict and was a civil war but also a civil war with which the South had fought in the Civil War. It was not clear what the results of this would be but some suggested that a major part of their military might could be lost if the Union was defeated or otherwise destroyed. Lincoln said in May that his men would lose. The army is almost all Confederate and in 1861 the Confederate army had about 13,000 Confederate soldiers in this army. In May 1862 a force was sent to Washington DC to form a provisional government which was disbanded by the Civil War. The National Guard was also disbanded during the war and the army consisted mostly of Confederate soldiers and officers. Despite the lack of new recruits, one thing was clear: The South was an effective force. Even during the period when Lincoln was in the White House there were men who showed up to the Civil War
âI say that we must not interfere with the institution of slavery in the states where it exists, because the constitution forbids it, and the general welfare does not require us to do soâ Abram Lincoln, giving a Speech at Cincinnati, Ohio
September 17, 1859In 1854 Douglasâ economic proposal of a trans-continental rail road set the stage for a conflict which signalled the end of political compromise. The Kansas Nebraska act which was a direct result of the economic conflict overturned the Missouri compromise. The following âbleeding Kansasâ incident heightened tensions on both sides and provides further evidence that the inherent economic conflicts could not be contained with in the bounds of politics. The sections had all ready resorted to arms to solve their differences it was merely a matter of time before their representatives made the violence official under the banner of the War Between the States. The different economic structures of north and south were a fundamental division which made the conflict inevitable. The south was staunchly anti tariff and therefore was incompatible with the north that needed tariffs to protect their new industries. Failure to compromise over the issue of protectionism was a primary factor in the growth of sectionalism which necessitated war.
The underlying conflicts between North and South were finally fully exposed as a result of failure of compromise in the political arena. The failure of American leadership in 1846-1861was epitomised by key events such as; Douglasâs Kansas Nebraska act of 1854 and the dread Scott case pronouncement of 1857. Both of these events overturned the previous Missouri compromise and thus once again brought the two opposing nations head to head. The Wilmot proviso bill which proposed to eliminate slavery in the territories was a clear signal to the South that the North was