causes of civil war
... While the war with Mexico was justified under the banner of “Manifest Destiny”; many deep-rooted problems that had laid just below the surface came floating to the top. ... While the Mexican War was just getting started in 1846 David Wilmot, a democratic representative from Pennsylvania, introduced an amendment to Polk’s bill promoting peace negotiations with Mexico. This amendment called for the prohibition of slavery in any territory gained from Mexico as a result of the war. ... This splintered Kansas into two rival governments and sparked the fiercest fighting that served as a glimpse into what a Civil War could mean. ... That is what happened leading up to the Civil War. There was no clear cut right or wrong, but rather different interests with conflicting ways of life that ultimately had to be beaten back together by the sad fact of war.