Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the causes of the U.S. Civil War. The writer explains how, although the North never indicated it wanted to eradicate slavery, fear that the North might do so led to the South's secession from the Union. The writer describes political developments of the early 1850s, such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 and the violent outbreaks that it provoked, that began the divide between North and South. The writer discusses the Topeka Constitution, devised to make Kansas a free-soil state, and perceived as a direct affront to the South, and the South's response in the form of the Lecompton Act. Events leading up to the election of 1860 which resulted in victory for Abraham Lincoln and the Republicans without the support of a Southern state are also described. South Carolina seceded after the election and other Southern states followed. The paper concludes that if the South had understood the North instead of constantly combating it, perhaps the Civil War could have been avoided. This paper uses MLA style endnotes rather than a page with works cited.

From the Paper:

"To the North the institution of slavery appeared cruel and evil. Even though eradicating it completely was not a logical solution at the time, ending its expansion was taken seriously by many Northerners . The misguided institution could be allowed and concentrated to one region, however, expanding it would mean to encourage it. Leaving it alone where it was already present was deemed understandable. This is the reason the Act became a solid indication of division. It broke the fragile balance between two ideologies instead of uniting them. In understanding the complexities of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, we must analyze the man who created it."

Sample of Sources Used:

• McPherson, Battle Cry of Freedom, Oxford University Press, 1988, page 148
• William Gillette Lecture (Rise of Republicans, September 22nd, 2008)
• William Gillette. Jersey Blue: Civil War Politics in New Jersey, 1854-1865, (1995) page 25
• William Gillette Lecture (Lecompton Crisis, September 24th, 2008)
• William Gillette Lecture (Secession, September 30th, 2008)

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