Fueling the Fire of War

Throughout the preceding years to the start of the Civil War in 1861 many decisions and events occurred which molded the United States into a position in which war was inevitable. Many tensions were created between the South and the North in the years prior to the event. The South and the North were split into two very different sections of the U.S. The two areas were both economically and socially different. The North was very industrialized while the South was based on agriculture and the cotton industry. Because of this difference there was also a large difference in lifestyle and opinions. Slavery was financially beneficial for the South and sometimes it was necessary to be able to complete the daily labor. The North, being industrial, did not require such labor and so they started to see the wrongs associated with slavery. The issue of slavery was also prolonged with multiple compromises that simply put off the problem until later which allowed the issue to grow worse over time. After these compromises came the Kansas-Nebraska act which ended up worse than the compromises. This act motivated Southerners to move to the Kansas in order to win the vote for slavery. This was one of the first precursors to the war. Finally the Book Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Stowe made the final division of the U.S. into those for slavery and those against it. The sides were determined due to the large differences between the two sides. They were already divided so it was only a matter of time until conflict arrived.