Finding the reasons for significant historical events is not an easy matter. Such a process requires substantial evidence and its analysis, as well as the process of evaluating each cause and considering its importance as related to others. The American Civil War was one of the most crucial events in the country’s history, and it is believed to have had several major causes. In my opinion, the main reason why the war was initiated was the issue of states’ rights. Taking into consideration the facts from the primary sources, such as newspapers published in the 1860s, it is possible to explain this idea.
The historical factor of states’ rights was highly significant in the 1860s since the Southern and Western states of America had different levels of trust in the government and adhered to its regulations at various scales. In particular, the Southern states wanted to gain more independence from the federal government and wished to obtain the right to abolish its laws. More and more people supported the idea of dissolving the Union between the states. Several Southern states declared the Ordinance “to repeal the Ratification of the Constitution of the United States.” The role of the selected historical factor cannot be underestimated since it led up to the war because of increasing the tension between the states. The problem was concerned with constitutional rights and with the belief of the Southern states that their rights were being neglected. The Southern considered that the federal government was limiting their powers without any solid reasons. The core issue involved in the situation was the determination of the South to continue keeping slaves, whereas the President expressed an intention to abolish slavery and grant freedom to every person.
Apart from the problem of states’ rights, there were some other factors leading up to the Civil War, such as slavery, expansion, and industry versus farming. The issue of slavery was particularly prominent since it was involved in several other factors. However, while slavery was one of the main elements involved in the pre-war tensions, it was hardly the most important one. The main problem was the desire of different states to divide power and receive the level of independence they wanted as opposed to the one to which they were entitled by the federal government. However, it is necessary to note the interplay between various factors. The South wanted to obtain the power to ratify laws because it intended to sustain slavery. Slavery was also connected with the problem of industry versus farming since the farming economy was supported by slave labor. All in all, the issue of states’ rights seems to have had the greatest prominence in the initiation of pre-war hostility between the country’s different parts. The desire of the Southern states to be divided from the Northern became so intense that the war became unavoidable.
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