ESSAY 1 CAUSES OF THE CIVIL WAR

The Civil War was a major battle between the North and the South in the year of 1861-1865. Politically, it was
the result of the raging internal turmoil of a United States government split into separate factions of proslavery and
antislavery. In terms of slavery, it was viewed as a moral issue in the North versus its defense and expansion in the
South. Thus, two problems that were important causes of the Civil War were political and social issues involving
slavery between the North and the South.
Political issue was one of the main causes of the Civil War. When Missouri wanted to enter as a slave state,
there were controversies in its admission because of the balance between free states and slave states. Therefore, Henry
Clay proposed a solution called the Missouri Compromise, which not only allowed Missouri as a slave state and
Maine as a free state to balance the issue, but also prohibited slaves north of the latitude 36 30 line and allowed
slavery south of that line. However, the Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise in 1854, which
proposed that the Nebraska territory be divided into the Kansas territory and Nebraska territory and that the settlers
there ruled with popular sovereignty, the power to decide whether or not to allow slavery. Since these territories are
located north of the 36 30 line, the Missouri Compromise was repealed. As a result, proslavery border ruffians from
Missouri flooded into Kansas to vote it as a slave state leading to violence between antislavery and proslavery, also
known as Bleeding Kansas. This fighting lead to increasing tension between the North and the South into the Civil
War. Another political issue was the Compromise of 1850. Henry Clay proposed that California enter as a free state,
divide the New Mexico territory into Utah and New Mexico with the slave issue being solved with popular
sovereignty, adopt a stricter Fugitive Slave Law, and ban slave trade in the District of Columbia. The Compromise
deepened the Norths growing identity because it induced them to do what they can to save the Union from secession.
However, the idea of popular sovereignty created a controversy between the two factions because one wanted slavery
and the other wanted abolishment of slavery, thus creating hostility, such as the Bleeding Kansas, and pushed the
South more toward secession.
The North and South were divided on the issue of morality. The North was consisted of Free-Soilers who
wanted to keep the west free of slaves so the slaves wouldnt compete with the whites for jobs while the South were
proslavery owners, dependent on slavery since they needed slaves labor for their cotton. In this one can see clearly the
diverging views of the two factions. However, these views magnified as abolitionist movements emerged and African
spirits started rising up to fight for their rights. This lead to massive runaway slaves trying to seek the freedom they
thought they deserved. In the 1850s, Harriet Tubman's underground railroad, supported by Northern abolitionist,
helped slaves escaped yet, angered the South causing an even deeper rift. They called for a stricter Fugitive Slave
Law, which eventually passed in the Compromise of 1850. This exponentially magnified the tensions of slavery and
pushed even more northerners into abolition and more southerners into proslavery campaigns. What angered the south
was the publishing of Uncles Tom Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This novel moved many northerner as well as
Europeans to recognize the inhumane of slave owners who treat their slaves. In effect, Southerners accused the
untruth in the novel and the norths prejudice against the south way of life. In the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford in
1857, Dred Scott sued for his freedom, since he argued his residency on a free soil land made him a free citizen. The
court decided against him because slaves are property and had no right to sue, thus angered the North and delighted
the South. Arguably, the tipping point in the civil war causes was the action of Northern abolitionist John Brown, a
northerner, who attacked on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, a southern stronghold. His motive was to
seize the weapons and help the slaves revolt, but it didnt work. In effect, Southerners saw the raid as proof of the
Norths intention to use slave revolts to destroy the South. All of these encouraged tension between the north and the
south; it fired up their spirits against each other ultimately leading up to the famous digression and war. Such reasons
show that Slavery was a main cause of the Civil War.
All of these political and social issues involving slavery depict that they were imperative toward the road to
disunion and a bloody Civil War. Politically, it was states rights versus federal control. Issue of slavery was also
gained where South wanted slaves for their labor while North viewed slavery as a moral issue.

ESSAY 2 POLITICAL CAREER OF LINCOLN

Leading up to Lincolns election, the Lincoln-Douglas Debate in 1858 was a series of debate between
Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas campaigning for the Senate seat. In the Peoria speech, Lincoln said that
slavery was wrong and then admitted that he didn't know what should be done about it, even contemplating freeing all
the slaves, and sending them to Liberia to their own native land. This speech really epitomizes his views into the Civil
War. Slavery ought to be abolished but he doesn't really know how to do it. He's not an abolitionist who criticizes
Southerners. At this point, Lincoln first supported this kind of colonization, the idea that slaves should be freed and
then encouraged or required to leave the United States for well over a decade. However, the debate also made the
South view Lincoln as a radical abolitionist, which thus heightened the tension been North and South.
When Lincoln was elected president in the Election of 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union and other
southern states began to join because knowing that Lincoln is an abolitionist of slavery, the South wanted to
perpetuate the institution of slavery. All of this political evidence stimulated the pressure between the North and the
South, and therefore help cause the Civil War. All compromise plans, such as that proposed by John J. Crittenden,
failed. The new President, determined to preserve the Union at all costs, condemned secession but promised that he
would not initiate the use of force. After a slight delay, however, he did order the provisioning of Fort Sumter, and the
South chose to regard this as an act of war. On Apr. 12, 1861, Fort Sumter was fired upon, and the Civil War began.
President Abraham Lincoln was faced with a monumental challenge during his two terms as Commander-in-chief of
the United States: reuniting the shattered halves of the Union. This was his sole purpose in fighting the Civil War
nothing more, nothing less. However, Lincoln was flexible enough to accommodate changes to the war plan if they
would help achieve the ultimate goal of preserving the Union.
On January 1, 1863 Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, making the abolition of slavery, as well as
the preservation of the Union a war aim. Lincoln freed the slaves to weaken the Southern resistance, strengthen the
Federal government, and encourage free blacks to fight in the Union army, thus preserving the Union. President
Lincoln once said that if he could save the Union without freeing any slave he would do it. However, Lincoln soon
realized that freeing the slaves could provide a huge advantage for the North both economically and politically.
Economically, the South came to rely on slave labor so much that their entire economy would collapse without it.
Lincoln realized this in 1862 when he said, slavery is the root of the rebellion. By issuing the Emancipation
Proclamation, Lincoln hoped that slaves living on Southern plantations would revolt against their masters. In a war as
volatile as the Civil War, a small economic difference like this could tip the scale in the favor of Lincoln and the
Union.
Furthermore, Lincoln realized that the Proclamation would benefit the United States foreign relations in
Europe. As Lincoln hoped, the Proclamation turned the foreign popular opinion in the favor of the Union and its new
anti-slavery cause. This shift in war goals ended any hope that the Confederacy had of receiving political and
financial support from anti-slavery countries like France or Britain. Lincoln demonstrates his commitment to the main
purpose of the war: reuniting the Union; he places secondary importance on the emancipation of the slavesthis is
only important to him because it will help weaken the South. Not only did issuing the Emancipation Proclamation
weaken the South, but it also strengthened the Union government in many ways. First of all, it instilled nationalism in
the hearts of many Americans.
Many northerners were driven to actively participate in the war effort after hearing Lincolns emotionally
charged Gettysburg Address. In this speech Lincoln used the anti-slavery fight as a call to defend the Union, which
was his main ambition and purpose in the Civil War. As President of the United States, Lincoln upheld his office by
keeping the preservation of the Union as his top goal throughout the Civil War. Lincoln also freed the slaves to
benefit the Union in another important way. By freeing the slaves in the Confederate States, Lincoln encouraged
Northern blacks to contribute to the war effort. Although Lincoln faced some opposition from members of the
Democratic Party, who refused to fight to free Negroes he knew the Unions need for soldiers was becoming
desperate. This was the Unions last desperate attempt at recruiting soldiers before it was finally forced to issue the
Conscription Act in 1863. Thus, Lincoln once again demonstrates the importance he places on preserving the Union
above all else.