The American Civil War is rightfully known as particularly intense throughout the country’s history. After the assessment of the historical facts and relevant readings, it becomes evident that the war was inevitable. According to Corbett et al. (2021), the conflict between anti- and pro-slavery factions that took place in the 1850s eventually resulted in civil war. The Compromise of 1850 refers to measures by the U.S. Congress which widened the gap between the states and factions (Holden, 2016).
In particular, the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was the Compromise’s integral part. It can be viewed among the primary causes that intensified the pressure between Northerners and Southerners and made the Civil War inevitable. Furthermore, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was another controversial bill that split the nation even more and aggravated the situation (Corbett et al., 2021). It increased the possibility of slavery expansion to territories where it had previously been banned. Therefore, the American Civil War became a fierce fight over the ethical problem of slavery.
Apart from the American Civil War causes addressed in the initial response, other factors should be considered. For instance, the Lincoln-Douglas debates of 1858 contributed to the conflict (Corbett et al., 2021). While Lincoln found slavery morally wrong, Douglas believed in the policy of popular sovereignty. The publishing of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” by Stowe in 1852 strengthened the abolitionism of the Northerners and convinced more people that slavery had no ethical justification (Holden, 2016). While these events cannot be considered direct causes of the Civil War, they shaped the public’s opinion. Nevertheless, a combination of factors that widened the gap between the South and the North made the war inevitable.
References
Corbett, P. S., Janssen, V., Lund, J. M., Pfannestiel, T., Waskiewicz, S., & Vickery, P. (2021). U.S. history [eBook edition]. OpenStax.
Holden, B. (2016). The origins of the American Civil War. Taylor & Francis Group.