Was slavery the primary cause of the war?

kevin · First Sergeant Joined: 19 May 2005 Posts: 31

Was slavery the main reason for South Carolina seceding from the union and the root cause of the war? Or was it states rights?

It seems to me slavery was a motivating factor behind many of the people who fought in the war on both sides.

John Brown's raid and rapid execution bears witness to this. The authorities have referred to the charged atmosphere of the surrounding countryside as a reason for expediting his judgement.

rreese09 · Corporal Joined: 19 Mar 2006 Posts: 2 Location: Alabama

To my knowledge, the main reason for the war was state's rights and taxes. Slavery was an issue, but main issue was what to do with them. Most southern states were in the process of doing away with slavery and alot of the slaves were sold to the northern states. Slavery was ending all over the United States and Confederate States. It's ashamed that most of the world now believes the war was over slavery. This is due to government attempted to portray the Union as the good guys and the Confederacy as the bad. More and more people that want to know the truth are beginning to find it and see that the war was fought over the same reasons the USA fought Britian.

dixierules · Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2006 1:02 pm Post subject: cause of civil war

the civil war was not fought over slavery,it was fought because the south wanted its independence form the united states due to taxation without representation, lincoln didnt evan want to get rid of slavery until about two or three years in the war, and in my opinion he only did so to get more support.

- in my opinion there never should have been a civil war the north should have minded there own buiseness and let the south do what they wanted to do, because they had no authority over the southern states.

bucktailre-enactor · First Sergeant Joined: 23 Mar 2006 Posts: 24

slavery was not an issue that started the Civil War. It was started over the tax conflict.

unknown189 · Sergeant Joined: 29 Mar 2006 Posts: 18 Location: virgina

i believe that slavery was just 1 of many reasons of the cause

Anime_Fanatics_101 · Corporal Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Missouri

While slavery was one of the causes that fueled the war, the main reason was that the North and South disagreed on what kind of Federal Government they were under. Southeners beilieved that the Union was compacted of states and that the states had more power. However, the Northeners believed the Union as a whole to have more power.
Another underlying cause was economical. The Congress was enacting trade agreements with other contries that would favor the manufacturing-centered North, while harming the more agricultural South.

cphilrun

Maybe a cause for a percentage of the population, certainly contributed. I think overall, it was a suppression of states rights that was the galvanizing factor for the south. Since the south seceded the union didn't need a cause per se to ignite before hand. The souths withdrawal from the union was enough.

dixierules · Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 12:06 pm Post subject:

the south leaving the union should of had nothing to do with it because the had the right to do that,
and thay chose to.

cphilrun · Posted: Mon Apr 03, 2006 4:30 pm Post subject: Causes of the war

Hmmm dixie to bad the union didn't see it that way....wouldn't have a web site here devoted to the civil war. Right to secede from the union? I don't believe I saw that in the consitution or the bill of rights. If such was the case then the article or provision would still exist, and you guys could try it again. As it stands, the withdrawal of the states from the union was a driving force, FOR the union. You southern boys can call it anywhich way you want.

NWFlConfederate · Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 9:00 am Post subject: Interpretation

Interpretation, interpretation, interpretation. It all boils down to that. You can ARGUE that the Constitution didn't say that anyone could secede, but you cannot make the same as a factual statement, you simply can't. The ninth and tenth amendments are too disambiguous to allow for a clear conclusion either way. I for one, and dixierules, both believe that the constitution allowed for secession, I believe it is one of the rights that were withheld by the states according to the ninth (?) amendment.
Thus, you can say that you don't THINK that it was legal, but you cannot simply say it wasn't.
Still, it is obvious that the North attacked because the South seceded, not for any other reason, it did matter.

dixierules · Posted: Tue Apr 04, 2006 11:09 am Post subject:

you got a good point there buddy.

cphilrun · Posted: Thu Apr 06, 2006 7:37 pm Post subject: causes for the war

Yep it all boiled down to interpretation. The North interpreted it one way, the south the other. The abolitionists war cry was about slavery but the average joe coming off the farms and small towns in the north saw it another way. I believe ultimately the cause for the north boiled down to secession and perceived aggression by the south (Fort Sumter). It was a chapter, although a bloody one in the life of a great nation, and given sentiment expressed here, and across this nation, still a live one.

I had relatives on both sides(Virginia, Tennessee, Iowa, North Carolina and I wouldnt pick one(A side).

Savez · First Sergeant Joined: 06 Apr 2006 Posts: 25

I hate to be the stick in the mud but slavery played a more important role than many of you suggest. Look at this...

Anime_Fanatics_101 · Corporal Joined: 30 Mar 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Missouri

...true, interperatation has a lot to do with it, but not all of it. The states had been together for a while now, through thick and thin. Rather than turn to God and pray about the issue, the South seceded and the North declared war. Imagine what would have happened if America had just turned back to her Provider. All of this could have been avoided. I think that was on of the primary causes of the war. America turned away from God.

GeoMcClellan · Sergeant Major Joined: 22 Apr 2006 Posts: 71

The reason South Carolina seceded; distrust of Lincoln and the Republican Party. South Carolina was the last bastion of old time Whiggery and they felt these Republican upstarts would ruin the country and wanted nothing to do with it, especially when a Doofus McGoofus like Lincoln was in charge of it.

The reason for the Civil War; because South Carolina seceded and so did a bunch of other copy cats. Very Happy