Question Home

Position:Home>History> Was the Civil War fought over slavery?


Question: Was the Civil War fought over slavery!?
Or was the war only to preserve the Union!? If you argue it was fought over slavery, why did Lincoln wait until 1863 to issue the Emancipation Proclamation!?Www@QuestionHome@Com


Best Answer - Chosen by Asker:
Slavery was one of the main issues!. But the primary reason was states rights!. South Carolina and southern states were importing/exporting and doing more business with Europe than with the north!. When the union imposed tariffs, the south attempted to secede!. In fact, Lincoln and the union only attempted to prevent slavery in new territories, not in established states!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

For the record, the first Emancipation Proclamation was issued in 1862, it wasn't until 1863 that it targeted specific states!. Lincoln waited until the North gained a substantial victory!. The Battle of Antietam in 1862 was rather a standstill, but it pushed Lee's battered army back to Virginia and halted any further advances into northern territory for some time!. This gave Lincoln the confidence needed to make that proclamation that first time!.

In my opinion for the South, it was about color, but not black and white but ultimately green!. MONEY Slaves were cheap labor for the Souths main revenue, Cotton!. They did not like anyone else, especially Northerners who enjoy rich manufacturing capabilities and therefore did not have to rely solely on crop productions, telling them that they would need to dispose of their free labor!. As you can tell, I lean more towards the cause of States Rights!.

For the North, which by the way had plenty of slaves too, I think it was chipping away on their conscious more and more on the issue of slavery!. I do not think Lincoln would have had the success he did with abolishing slavery without the South taking that first shot!. Basically, I do not see the North attacking the South simply to abolish slavery!. The outbreak of the war on the first shots by the South gave Lincoln the secondary cause of preserving the Union, much easier to get the masses to rally behind that cause first, and then abolish slavery as a national cause tied to the preservation of the Union!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com

Primarily, yes!. The North and South went to war over the refusal of the South to give up slavery!. It had been an issue for a couple of decades prior to the Civil War!.

For the South slavery was an economic issue, because slavery was basically free labor, and it threatened their way life too, plantations and so forth!. For many Northerners is was a moral issue!.

Now in regards to President Lincoln, he said his main concern was to preserve The Union itself, and if that meant abolishing slavery-so be it!. Though Lincoln personally opposed slavery!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

No, it was not!. Slavery was a peripheral issue that became prominent during the course of the war, but it was never the main reason for the war!. The South was determined to secede from the Union and Lincoln was determined that they should not do so!. That's why it took so long to issue the Emancipation Proclamation - it was one way of undermining the South!. But it was certainly not the issue the war was fought over!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

It was fought over state's rights!. The federal government had taken steps to begin abolishing slavery (ie!. not allowing any more slave states into the USA), and the southern states felt that the decision to allow slavery or not should be in the hands of the state governments!.

After the southern states began to secede, the rest of the country fought to preserve the nation as a whole because most of the southern states could not legally secede from the Union!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The main reason was to teach that state rights do not supersede federal laws!. The slave issue was just icing on the cake!.The emancipation Proclamation, was an act to cause disorder and trouble behind the lines in Confederate territory!. It could not be proclaimed until they felt the timing was right!. The Union needed a major victory first!. The Emancipation Proclamation did not free slave in the northern states!. That came later!.

also some of the major abolitionists, like the quakers, not only wanted the slaves freed but return to Africa!.

In late 1816, the American Colonization Society (ACS) was assembled with the purpose of returning black slaves of African descent to Africa itself!. Members of the Quakers religious group were heavily involved in this effort!. They believed that blacks would have a better chance at freedom and self-determination in Africa, rather than in the U!.S!.

A number of slave owners were also part of this effort to repatriate Africans, but for very different reasons!. Fearing rebellion and the consequences of living with freed slaves, they preferred to rid the U!.S!. entirely of Africans!. The ACS was controversial among both whites and blacks, but it gained enough support to send a small ship of black immigrants along with a few white ACS agents to begin a settlement in Sierra Leone, Africa, in 1820!.

That first attempt proved unsuccessful due to yellow fever, malaria, and harsh conditions!. But the ACS sent more ships in the following years and negotiated with tribal leaders for land in the Cape Mesurado area of modern Liberia!. The African tribes who already lived on this land were not happy to be uprooted, and according to some accounts, had to be "persuaded" to leave at gunpoint!. Unfortunately, this would prove to be a long-standing source of conflict!.

By 1825, a preliminary government run by the ACS oversaw the new settlement, and the colony was named Liberia, "the land of freedom!." The main town was called Monrovia after the U!.S!. president, James Monroe, an ACS supporter!. Throughout the next few decades, American slave states formed their own colonization societies or worked with the ACS to send former slaves and free blacks to Liberia!. By 1867, over 13,000 black Americans had immigrated to Liberia!.

On July 26, 1847, the people of Liberia declared their independence from the U!.S!. Liberia's government was modeled on that of the United States, and it became the first republic in Africa!. Joseph Jenkins Roberts, a free black man born in Virginia, became the country's first president, and his cabinet was composed entirely of American-born men!.

Ironically, the former American slaves became a ruling class in Liberia and denied rights and equal participation in government to the indigenous peoples of the country!. The descendants of these Americans became known as Americo-Liberians and currently make up only 5% of the population!. The country's indigenous people come from 16 different ethnic groups, which have struggled with the government and among themselves throughout Liberia's existence!.

The nation has always had limited economic success, and the government's increasingly authoritarian stance in the 20th century heightened instability in the country!. This lead to a military coup in 1980 and another uprising in 1990, followed by a civil war that has lasted off and on until the present!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

The person who said economics is right, if you want to know why anything happened follow the money!. Think about the fact there was no income tax before the war!. Where did the government raise its money!? Tariffs and duties, who paid these!? Slavery was an economic issue not a moral issue!. The admission of non slave states hurt the south due to decreased power in congress!. Slave states and non slave states tended to vote in lock step with each other, so the admission of more non slave states took power from the south and with the loss of power comes the loss of money!. It was about money, people can make up what ever moral justification after the fact for the war they want to but they know in their heart what the truth is and the truth is money!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

In the South, it is known as the "War of Northern Aggression"!.

The South had the labor force, the North had the industry (that they needed laborers for)!.

Slaves didn't know any other life unless they were first generation over from Africa!.!.!. by the time the Civil War came around, there weren't many first generation people left!.They were content with their lot in life (a lot of them, anyway)

Lincoln didn't do the EP thing until it looked like the war would come to a bad end for the North, then incited the slaves to want freedom!.

I realize that this isn't a really good answer, but it gives you something to think about, and maybe even Google!Www@QuestionHome@Com

The Civil War was fought to preserve the union of states!. Slavery was a subsidiary issue!. I read the Constitution and was amazed to find that it does not deal with the issue of secession!. It is as though the founders did not consider it to be a possibility that a state might at some time in the future decide it is their best interest to resign membership!. It seems an incredibly blind oversight on their part!. Www@QuestionHome@Com

It was to help the Union!. Slavery was an issue then, but its the purpose of it wasn't to abolish slavery!. After saving the union, Lincoln freed the slaves so they will help support the North!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

It was fought over both slavery and secession!. While Lincoln may not have given the emancipation proclamation right away, the south had seceded largely over slavery!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

I think it had more to do with States Rights vs!. Federal Rights (which included the slavery issue)!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

nope, it was fought by the north to prevent the south from seceding!. lincoln said that he would have fought the war even if blacks didn't end up getting freed!.!.!.it was very much a side issueWww@QuestionHome@Com

Slavery, And The States Succeeding!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

it was a major reason!. the southern states say they needed slaves to farm their crops!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

no ! bottom line: economics, like virtually every other war !Www@QuestionHome@Com

Slavery, Lincoln was elected during the war, and he was strongly ridiculed and people hated him, so it took awhile ot get stuff done!.Www@QuestionHome@Com