Pick Three Of The Leading Causes Of The American Civil War

Pick Three (3) of The Leading Causes Of The American Civil War

Pick three (3) of the leading causes of the American Civil War: Write one paragraph for each topic on how it contributed to the civil war. The Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Law 1850, Uncle Tom's Cabin 1852, the Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854, the Dred Scott Case of 1857, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates 1858. Address one (1) of the following for your selections: 1. Based on the historical facts given in this module, assess if the American Civil War was inevitable? 2. Analyze if the United States Supreme Court can settle legal and moral issues through judiciary review. In your response, provide a documented example of a modern parallel of a legal or moral issue settled by the United States Supreme Court. Total of 4 paragraphs, 2 references with in-text citation.

Paper For Above instruction

The American Civil War was a pivotal event in United States history, driven by multiple complex causes that ultimately led to a disastrous conflict. Among these, the Compromise of 1850 significantly contributed by temporarily diffusing sectional tensions but also highlighting the deep divisions over slavery. The Compromise introduced legislation such as the Fugitive Slave Law, which mandated that escaped slaves be returned to their owners and placed severe restrictions on those assisting runaway slaves. This law inflamed abolitionist sentiments in the North, heightening hostility toward the South and emphasizing the growing divide over slavery's moral and economic implications. The enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Law intensified friction, making confrontation inevitable, as it exposed the moral disagreements about slavery and its expansion into new territories (McPherson, 1988).

Uncle Tom's Cabin, published in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe, played a pivotal role by exposing the brutal realities of slavery to a broad Northern audience. The novel galvanized abolitionist movements and swayed public opinion against slavery, portraying it as a moral evil. This shift in sentiment increased sectional tensions, making compromise more difficult and pushing the nation closer to conflict. The emotional and moral arguments presented in the book starkly contrasted the Southern perspective, which viewed slavery as a necessary economic institution. The widespread dissemination of Uncle Tom's Cabin made slavery not just a political issue but a moral crisis, increasing hostility between North and South (Gara, 2012).

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 further destabilized national unity by allowing settlers in these territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery through popular sovereignty. This act effectively overturned the Missouri Compromise, which had prohibited slavery north of the 36°30′ parallel. The law led to violent clashes known as “Bleeding Kansas,” where pro- and anti-slavery settlers clashed violently, exemplifying how this legislation contributed to the breakdown of peaceful political processes. The violence and chaos in Kansas became a microcosm of the larger sectional crisis, demonstrating that divisive issues surrounding slavery could no longer be contained through legislative compromises (Foner, 2015).

In evaluating whether the Civil War was inevitable, it is clear from these causes that the nation was on an unavoidable path toward conflict. The deep moral, economic, and political divisions over slavery created a fundamentally incompatible union. Although compromises like the 1850 Act temporarily placated tensions, they ultimately failed to address the core issues dividing North and South. The Supreme Court's landmark ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857), which declared that African Americans could not be citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories, exemplifies the legal entrenchment of slavery's expansion. These factors suggest that the Civil War was likely inevitable once these divisions became irreconcilable (McPherson, 1988). The collapse of compromise efforts, the rising violence, and the Supreme Court's decisions all point to an inevitable descent into conflict.

References

• Foner, E. (2015). The fiery trial: Abraham Lincoln and American slavery. W. W. Norton & Company.
• Gara, G. (2012). Uncle Tom's Cabin and American culture: A slave narrative in the age of abolition. University of Georgia Press.
• McPherson, J. M. (1988). Battle cry of freedom: The Civil War era. Oxford University Press.