The Civil War & Slavery

Paper Summary:

This paper traces the historical relationship between the development of the institution of slavery and the outbreak of the Civil War. The paper analyzes the relationship between the two processes and outlines some other factors responsible for the conflict, as well as their relationship with slavery.

Outline:
Slavery and the U.S. Constitution
The Contrasting Economies of the North and South
Subsequent Compromises
Other Causes of the Civil War

From the Paper:

"In the initial years after independence, the Southern states sought to counter the growing political influence of the North by attempting to add more 'slave states' into the Union. This was opposed by the Northern states that wanted to contain the spread of slavery in other states. Thus, when Missouri, a slave-holding region applied for entry in the Union in 1918, the north only agreed to its entry with a compromise that allowed the simultaneous entry of a new 'free' state of Maine and prohibition of slavery in the territories north of 36o 30' latitude (Spicer 2004). When more territories were acquired by the US as a result of the Mexican Wars, another uneasy 'Compromise Measure of 1850' was reached that admitted California as a 'free state' and allowed the rest of the states, i.e., Texas, New Mexico and Arizona to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery or not. The tensions between the North and the South went up another notch when the Senate passed the 'Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854' which repealed the prohibition of slavery in the territories north of 36o 30' latitude previously agreed in the 'Missouri Compromise.' In reaction to the repealing of the Missouri Compromise, antislavery groups formed a new party (called the Republican Party ) that was committed to containing slavery (Gallagher, 2006)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Berkowitz, C. and Moran, K. B. (2006). "Slavery In The U. S. Constitution." Worcester Women's History Project. Retrieved on September 5, 2006 from http://www.wwhp.org/Resources/Slavery/constitution.html
• Epperson, J. F. (2003). "The Causes." The American Civil War. Retrieved on September 5, 2006 from http://www.swcivilwar.com/cw_causes.html
• Gallagher, G. (2006). "American Civil War." Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved on September 5, 2006 from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761567354/Civil_War.html
• Spicer, J. (2004). "The Cause of the American Civil War: John Spicer Judges That Slavery Was the Key Factor in Producing the Conflict." History Review, (49), 45+.

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