Causes of Civil War
...this concept was true for those living in the Northern and Southern states, a minority of Northern politicians and individuals tried to force their beliefs upon the South and tell them how they should live. The South resented this and opened up a division between the two geographic areas of the nation. The North believed that slavery was for the most part wrong and should be abolished at all costs. Although slavery also existed in the North long before, freedom from slavery probably began in 1775, when Rhode Island gave freedom to any child born of a slave mother. In 1787, the Northwest Ordinance barred slavery from lands north of the Ohio River and east of the Mississippi River. Federal Law made it illegal to import Negroes in 1808. Therefore, the North’s economical strength came from manufacturing; where, profit was not as great due to wages being paid. To the South, slavery was necessary for their economic existence and way of life, although the majority of the population never owned a slave. During the 1840’s and 1850’s, the South was economically richer than the North, primarily due to agricultural exportations. The southern states depended on slave labor to work the fields. Much of the South’s manufactured equipment was imported. Congress imposed tariffs on importations; the South believed they were too high and unfair for their imports, which lead to an increase in division between the North and the South. During the elections in 1860, Lincoln was voted President. The South was opposed to his victory and in December of 1860, they voted and ordinance of secession from the Union (United States) and declared they were no longer an entity. Over...