Causes of Civil War
Objective: Identify the causes of
The Civil War
Thesis Statement
• The Civil War was caused by
competing perspectives of nationalism
and sectionalism (states’ rights), the
development of two different economic
and social societies, and political
competition revolving around
acquisition of new territories.
Topic Sentence
• The states’ rights debate was one of the
reasons leading to the Civil War. This
debate had been waged even before the
American Revolution, and continued until
the Civil War.
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Sectionalism=Loyalty/sovereignty to
region
• Nationalism=loyalty/sovereignty (where
power is) to nation
?????
• Nationalism is_________________
• Sectionalism is ________________
• The State’s Right Debate is associated
with nationalism/sectionalism (circle)
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Enlightenment thought and absolute
power-(Enlightenment begins 17th
century-through 18th century)
• Locke-government corrupt
• Fear strong central authority
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Contract theory vs. compact theory (formation of
United States)
• Lock-enlightenment thinker=contract theory
• Contract between government and the people
Compact-theory
• Compact between government and states
• States maintain sovereignty
• federal gov. given authority by states-not
expressly written=violation
?????
• The people created the
government=compact theory or contract
theory (circle one)
• The states created the
government=compact theory or contract
theory (circle one)
• Which theory supports the States Rights
argument??? ____________________
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Albany Plan of Union-1754
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Albany Plan of Union-1754
• Shows colonists lack of desire to give up
their sovereignty
• French and Indian War-necessitates
centralizing agency during war
• Colonial legislatures reject
• Fear of centralizing agency-particularly
ability to tax
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
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Articles of confederation-1777
Outset of American Revolution
Create weak central government
No power to tax
Request taxes from states
?????
• Create a one paragraph C.E.R.C. detailing
the historical tendency toward states
rights.
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Northwest Ordinance
• Under Articles of Confederation
• “No Slavery in western territories
?????
• What was the status of slavery in the Old
Northwest as developed by the Northwest
Ordinance?
• Does this go for or against State’s Rights?
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Constitution and absolute power-17871788
• Built on enlightenment thought
• Fear of gov=corrupt
• Balance of power=checks and balances
Sectionalism vs. nationalism
(States rights)
• Federalist versus Anti-Federalists
• Federalist=strong central government
• Anti-Federalist=weak central government
?????
• Why did the founding fathers create
checks and balances?
• What were the Anti-Federalists afraid of?
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
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Great compromise -1787
Virginia Plan/New Jersey Plan
Balance of power in legislature
Big states not too powerful
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Constitution speaks to Slavery Issue:
• Three-Fifths Compromise-part of it says
no laws on slavery until 1808
• Constitution sought to protect individual’s
ability to have property (slaves were
considered property)
• Federalism-shared power between
national government and states
????
• What did the founding fathers and the
creation of the U.S. Constitution say about
the slavery issue and state’s rights?
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions 1798
• Response to federalists alien and sedition
acts-strong national gov.
• Focus on compact theory-federal gov.
given authority by states-not expressly
written=violation
Sectionalism vs. Nationalism
(States rights)
• States’ Rights
• Virginia=state could place itself between
federal government and its citizens
• Kentucky=states could nullify=say no to
federal laws
????
• What was the Virginia Resolution?
• What was the Kentucky Resolution?
• Were these two resolutions arguing for
state’s rights or the right of the
federal/national government?
Topic Sentence• The north and the south had developed
two distinct economies leading two the
development of two distinct societies.
Having distinct economic and social
values lead to The Civil War.
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
• Northern sand soil, fast rivers + shorter
growing seasons + ports= trade then
industrial economy
• Southern soil + longer growing
seasons=leads to plantations
society/slavery
????
• What factors led to an industrial economy
in the North?
• What factors led to an agricultural
economy in the South?
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
• Hamilton’s Plan: Pro-North and Anti-South
• Protective Tariff-helps North hurts South
????
• How did Hamilton’s plan build
sectional/regional tension? Between
whom?
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
• Tariff of abominations-1828
• Tariff designed to help northern industries
through import tax.
• Hurt southern economy-goods not
produced=cost more
• Nullify=Say no! (Ideas goes back to KY
and VA resolutions)
• Nullification Crisis
• Based on States Rights
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
• Nullification crisis
• Nullify=say no
• Southern states lead by John C. Calhoun
draw upon compact theory
• Say have states’ rights/sovereignty to
say not to a law they deem unfair
????
• What is a Tariff?
• Whom did the Tariff of Abominations hurt?
Why?
• How did the Tariff of Abominations cause
sectionalism?
• What was the argument used against the
Tariff of Abominations?
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
• Nat Turner Rebellion 1831
• Southampton VA
Industrial capitalism vs.
plantation society
• Scares southerners=moderates join slave
cause
• Pass legislations restricting/controlling
slaves
????
• Who was Nat Turner?
• How did the South react to his actions?
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
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Slavery
Abolitionists
Northern movement to end/abolish slavery
Moral reasons
????
• What is abolition?
• What larger movement was it a part of?
Industrial capitalism vs.
plantation society
• Free Soil Party=anti-slave expansion
• “Free Soil for Free White Men.”
• Economic reasons=slaves/slave
society=competition for free whites
seeking land in western
????
• What was the Free Soil Party (Political
Party) for? Against?
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
• John Brown
• “Bleeding Kansas”
• Pottawatomie massacre-Kansas 1855
John Brown
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Attempting to create slave uprisings
Harper’s Ferry-1859
Raid on munitions depot
Unsuccessful
????
• Who was John Brown?
• What two events is he famous for?
Describe each.
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
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Compromise of 1850
California=free (upsets balance of Senate)
Slave trade banned in Washington D.C.
No laws against slavery in territory gained
Mexico
• Fugitive Slave Act
????
• What did the North get out of the
Compromise of 1850?
• What did the South get?
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
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Dred-Scott v. Sanford 1857
Slave sued for freedom
Master moved to free state
Then dies=Dred Scott sues
Supreme court shoots down
No rights to sue=property
Southerners applaud
Northerners move to check supreme court
????
• How did the Dred-Scott v. Sanford case
support the pro-slavery argument?
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
• Harriet Beecher Stowe/Uncle Tom’s
Cabin-1851
• Anti-slave novel
• Shows cruelty/hypocrisy of southern slave
society
????
• How did the novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin
cause tension between the North and
South?
Topic Sentence• As the United States expanded it acquired
new territories. The debate on whether
the new territories, when they became
states, would become slave or free states
created political tension threatening to
upset the precarious balance between
slave and free states.
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Louisiana Purchase
Louisiana Purchase
• Will states that form in the territory be
slave or free (remember Northwest
Ordinance)
• Issue raised when Missouri wants to join
union.
• Tallmadge Amendment-ban slavery in
Missouri
• Southerners say Congress has no right to
ban slavery
????
• How does the Louisiana Purchase cause
tension between the North and South?
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Missouri Compromise 1820:
• Slavery long established in Missouri
• Long tradition that when states entered
union one was pro-slavery and one was
anti-slavery
• Missouri threatens to upset balance in
Senate
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Missouri Compromise continued:
• Henry Clay-Missouri as slave state +
Maine as free state
• Southern boundary of Missouri westward=
no slavery north of boundary
????
• What caused the need for the Missouri
Compromise?
• What was the Compromise? Describe
terms.
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Manifest destiny
• Imperialistic policy of 1840s-1850s
• God ordained, “sea to sea”
????
• What was Manifest Destiny?
• How did it indirectly cause tension
between the North and South?
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Texas annexation
• As slave state
• Caused political split in democratic party
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
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Mexican-American War 1848
What to do w/lands acquired
Wilmot Proviso
Proposed no slavery in lands acquired
from war
• Further disrupts party lines
• Dem/Whigs no longer vote party lines
• Vote regionally
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Compromise of 1850
• California as state-free
• Compromise=strengthen fugitive slave
laws
• Senate shifts to free states majority
????
• What did the North get out of the
Compromise of 1850?
• What did the South get out of the
Compromise of 1850?
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854
• Stephen A. Douglas-desires Chicago as
hub western transportation
• Northerly Route of Transcontinental
Railroad established
• Kansas-open to slave, but based on
popular sovereignty=let the people decide
• Nebraska-free
Kansas-Nebraska Act
????
• What is popular sovereignty?
• What did the North get out of the KansasNebraska Act?
• What did the South get out of the KansasNebraska Act?
Industrial capitalism vs. plantation
society
• John Brown
• “Bleeding Kansas”
• Pottawatomie massacre-Kansas 1855
John Brown
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Attempting to create slave uprisings
Harper’s Ferry-1859
Raid on munitions depot
Unsuccessful
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Lincoln-Douglas Debates 1858
• Republican Party=anti-slavery party
• Southern Democrats-Breckenridge and
Bell
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
• Election of Lincoln 1860
• Signals south (perceived) north move to
end slavery
• Majority rule of Rep.
????
• Why did the South leave the Union (United
States) after the election of Abraham
Lincoln?
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
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Ostend Manifesto 1854
Taking Cuba from Spain
Southern expansionist were for
Northerners-against expansion of slavery
Shot down
Land Acquisition/ political
instability/failure of compromise
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Crittenden Compromise-1860
Last effort to stop southern secession
Refix Missouri compromise-permanently
Allow for permanent slavery in southern
states
• Addressed southern demands tighten
fugitive slave laws
• Rejected-congress and Lincoln
Immediate Causes
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Political Changes:
Democratic Party split apart: now
northern faction and southern faction
(slavery divides)
Whig Party goes away
New Republican Party=anti-slavery
party
Immediate Causes
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Lincoln (Republican) elected
Southern secession
Ft. Sumter