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To what extent was the expansion of slavery into the territories the…
To what extent was the expansion of slavery into the territories the primary cause of
the United States Civil War?
THESIS
Slavery is often considered to be the most prominent cause of the US Civil War. Despite not being the sole cause of the war, slavery and its expansion hold significant links to the majority, if not all, of other contributing factors. These links can be most effectively seen in the Nullification Crisis, sectionalism and the ongoing debate over state rights vs federal rights.
Furthermore, the issue of Slavery separated the North and the South ideologically. This ideological difference led to their economic differences, the conflict over new territories, constitutional disputes and extremism. Furthermore, the Election of 1860 along with their differences pushed succession of the South in 1961 and guided the way towards Civil War.
HISTORIOGRAPHY
Dwight Pitcaithley
Focuses mainly on the expansion of slavery saying "The issue was not the existence of slavery, but the extension of it"
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James McPherson
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"The war began because a compromise did not exist that could solve the difference between slave and free states"
Economic Differences
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The Northern states were bound together by improved transportation and a high rate of economic growth based on both commercial farming and industrial innovation
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The Southern States were defined in economic, political and social terms as a distinct region including those states who permitted slavery
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When the industry began to expand, manufacturing moved into Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas
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Origins of Slavery
The origins of slavery lay in the transatlantic slave trade which stretched across three continents, Africa, South America and North America
By 1808 the USA declared the African slave trade illegal, but there were about 1 million slaves already in the USA
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Constitutional Disputes
The Compromise of 1850 was created after the Gold Rush of 1849 and an influx of settlers left California in a mess
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President Taylor supported immediate admission of California and New Mexico as free states although he was a southern slave holder
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The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) which renewed sectional controversy that had been resolved by the Compromise of 1850 and repealed the Compromise of 1920.
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Lecompton Constitution was decided by Buchanan as president in 1857 to accept or reject a proslavery state constitution for Kansas
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That next year, constitution overturned as now majority were antislavery
Election of 1860
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In 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a republican candidate, was elected president
Believed the United States could not survive long with this huge rift between the North and the South and made it a main goal to keep the Union together
Seward appeared to have everything he needed to be a successful presidential candidate: the credential of having led antislavery forces in Congress, the financial support of New York political organizations—and a desire to be the center of attention.
Lincoln had not had the chance to offend as many people and was considered moderate and acceptable to people on both sides of the divided party
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