Slavery a cause?

[rihanna]

Was the debate over the abolition of slavery a major cause of the Civil War?
why or why not

[THE5ASPECTS]

I believe that slavery was a cause of the Civil War, but it was not the only cause. The Confederate States of America left because Abraham Lincoln was elected, according to some textbooks. The Republican Party did not want to end slavery in the South, but the South still took it as an insult. That is why I believe what I do. :!:

[rebelyeller]

I think slavery was more of a side issue to a much greater struggle. Alot of it was sectional injustice and simply the attitudes expressed by congressmen in Washington. Many Northerners Senators and Representives were very argoant and drove a wedge in sectional differences. The North and the South as a people were very different and still are to this day. The South might of held the slaves but the North propegated Slavery by selling their slaves in Southern markets and be putting their vessells in the slave trade and of course by catching and returning many run aways to the South. And after all that people like Daniel Webster had the nerve to attack the South over slavery and call us basically monsters. I think the major issues of the Civil War were the Souths feelings of being pushed around, neglected, their rights being denyed so they secessed of in Maryland and Kentucky's cause attempted to secesseed but Lincoln Admin. soldiers closed the polls to Secessionist. I think it is possible that South Carolina secesseed partially due to slavery but mostly due to excess tariffs on the mainly agricultural South themselves being a state with major ports and States' Rights issues tied in with that. But the rest of the South especially the upper South only secesseed because they were appalled at the Lincoln Admin.'s denying the Constitutional Rights of South Carolina, the call for Invasion forces, and of course the firing on Fort Sumter all attempts to subjugate South Carolina. When it all boils down to it why a state secesseed was not the real issue the war itself was fought to stop subjugation and other Lincoln Admin. atrocities and to stop his invasion which other Southern or Border states not even interested much in slavery such as Kentucky could not set back and let happen and defently could not particapate in.

[THE5ASPECTS]

I agree with all that you said, but I cannot help but think there were other reasons as well. As we all agree that slavery is a side issue, we can set that aside. Secession is constitutinal, but the North would not allow the South to secede. Then, the South retaliated by attacking Fort Sumter.

[bmac6446]

We have to go further back than the 1860 election to discover the reason for the secession. There has been friction between abolitionists and plantation owners since the founding of our country.
The Missouri Compromise and Dred Scott only helped to make the fire hotter. There were radicals on both sides and in both parties. The Pseudo-Aristocracy of the south also didn't much like having their fine European imported goods heavily tariffed by the northern representatives and senators. The newspapers on both sides of the slave issue also helped to fan the flames. Violence was in the air. John Brown's show of violence at Harper's Ferry was only the steam being let out before the pot blew.
Before Abraham Lincoln took office the southern states were ready for a fight. Under cooperation from the Buchanan administration they were emptying northern garrisons and resupplying southern garrisons with arms and supplies for war.
When Lincoln took office in March, the fire eaters of the south had their way, firing upon Ft. Sumter in South Carolina, when Lincoln attempted to resupply the half starved detachment.
Albeit brief, this is a sense of what lead up to the first states seceding from the United States.