Reasons Behind the Civil War

"We do not shape history; history shapes us."
- Jesse Jackson

Behind the cause of every war, there are always reasons and motives. The Civil War was America's deadliest war fought on home soil; however, it was inevitable just like any other nation's civil war. Like all the others, the American Civil War was preceded with a combination of long-term, drawn out tension and short-term, explosive cataclysms-all of which were unavoidable.

Though it may be hard to believe, the Civil War started building up from the moment America became America. Like all other early nations, there were always one or more issues that get dismissed or 'swept under a rug.' In America's case, it was the issue of slavery. The whole concept of America becoming a country was based on all men being created equal and freedom-yet they allowed slavery because it was a major part of the Southern economy. New technological advancement that required more slaves and disputes being settled only delayed the inescapable war.

As time progressed, more and more events helped add on to the tension between the North and the South. The Industrial Revolution of the mid-1800s allowed for the increase of demands for slaves in the south. Though the revolution had a big impact on slavery, not many people touched upon the issue.

Another event that helped build the tension was the creation of new states-the issue of whether or not they are going to be a slave state or not. Henry Clay, arguably America's greatest compromiser, played a pivotal role in building up the tension. With every compromise he made to help keep the balance of power in congress, he adds more tension to the delicate situation. His compromises don't solve the problem for the long-run, they just ease the problem now and hide it under a rug.

Events like these are all inevitable in a nation. There will always be disagreements and compromises that just builds tension. With every new state being added, every new invention that requires more slaves, every new dispute that gets settled, the Civil War gets pushed back a little more.

Now with all the 'sweeping under the rug' and delay, the Civil War had to have some sort of an immediate cause. In most history books, the main battle that made the Civil War official was at Fort Sumter when Confederate soldiers attacked the Union fort.

There were some small quarrels and fights here and there such as the South's threat to secede and John Brown's attack on slave owners-events equivalent to the Boston Tea Party and the Boston Massacre. However, nothing really big came out until that fateful day at Fort Sumter. The 'official' start of the Civil War had to have started at one point and could've started anytime before Fort Sumter. The only main reason that Fort Sumter was the official start of the Civil War was because it was the first battle between Union and Confederate forces. As soon as the battle started, all the issues between the North and South immediately sprung out and steered America into its historic Civil War.

Through history, we can see that all civil wars are inevitable for great nations-nations that have broken free from another nation, go through a cycle of problems, and then break out into a civil war. Some become known as revolutionary wars, some become known as rebellions, and some become known as civil wars.