APUSH Civil War Essay

Thesis

The civil war was caused by differences in the economic and social systems of the north and the south, and the debate over which system would rule the western land.

TPS1

The drastic differences in the economic and social systems of the north and south created deep sectional divides that led to the civil war

E1

The north was an industrial power with factories, railroads, canals and wage labor. The north was fueled by the market revolution which was the shift from subsistence farming to a diverse market economy. The north also promoted social mobility and being able to climb the social ladder through hard work.

E2

The south was based on plantation agriculture, slave labor and the production of cotton commonly referred to as “King Cotton”. The south had a concentration of power and wealth within the top percent of farmers. Many southerners were small farmers and owned 1 or no slaves. This made it hard to become a wealthy famer and many were stuck in their situation for life.

A1

These drastic differences in economic and social systems furthered sectional divides. Because the north and south relied on their systems for survival they viewed the other as a threat to not only their system but their way of life. This weakened nation unity and increased sectional tensions to the point where the south felt they could not coexist with the north.

TPS2

As the Unites States expanded westward debates over which system would spread west and issues over political balance rose to the forefront.

E1

As the union expanded west both the north and the south saw it as an opportunity to spread their systems and increase their economic profits. They held this belief because of an ongoing movement in the country at the time, Manifest Destiny. Manifest destiny was the belief that Americans were destined to spread their economic, political and social regime across the continent. This movement led to obvious conflicts over if the north or south would get to spread.

E2

Another issue that arose when westward expansion began is keeping the political balance in the senate. If one state is added to the union as free or slave it offsets the balance in the senate and would allow one side to gain the political edge over the other allowing them to vote in laws that could potentially hurt the other. An example of a solution to the issue is the Kansas Nebraska act. This acted tried to introduce Kansas and Nebraska as a pair of states to uphold the balance in the senate. The status of the states was left up to popular soveirngty which was the prinicpal that allowed the people in the territory to vote if it were to be a slave or free state. The people in the territories couldnt agree on slave or free status and paired with little to no government intervention caused violence in Kansas known as Bleeding Kansas. Demonstrating how the debate over westward expansion can lead to real violence.

A2

Competition over western land increased tensions because the north and south wanted the western territories to reflect their own system. This made compromise hard because both sides did not want to concede to the other in fear that if they did the other would take control of the west, causing the nation to be pushed towards civil war.