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Civil War

Many times an individual will be heard declaring that the Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery. Abraham Lincoln is stated as being against slavery and representing the North, while leaders in the South, like Jefferson Davis, wanted to preserve slavery. Both of them used their individual interpretation of the Declaration of Independence to justify their views. Lincoln and the North and the slaves won, while the South lost. In actuality, while this scenario is partially correct, there were a host of other issues that represent causes or catalysts of the Civil War. These cause span the economic, political and social dimensions of America during the middle nineteenth century. In fact, Lincoln declared he would not abolish slavery, if elected President, in areas where it already existed. He was against allowing it in expansion territories and did feel it was unjust according to the Declaration of Independence. However, many other issues were involved. The heavily agricultural South, spurred on to great economic growth by the introduction of the Cotton Gin, was in direct conflict with the industrially burgeoning North. The South preferred to buy their merchandise from overseas because it was cheaper, and the North slapped high tariffs on imported goods. Of course, the high profit margins in the South were due to the institution of slavery, wherein slaves were personal property owned by plantation owners who used their free labor and often severely abused them. Also in dispute between the two regions was the rights of states. The South felt the state had the right to willfully resist the federal government’s laws if they were in violation of Constitutional rights. The North declared the federal government was the overriding law of the land, “In 1828 Vice-president John C. Calhoun said if a state felt a federal law extended beyond the Constitutional rights of the government the state had the right to ignore (or ‘n...

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Civil War. (1969, December 31). In LotsofEssays.com. Retrieved 17:58, March 28, 2024, from https://www.lotsofessays.com/viewpaper/1684832.html