As it is in every thing we do, events will always have many different, but connected causes. For example, weather is caused by things such as wind patterns, ocean temperatures, etc, which are all tied into the sun. The great compromiser Henry Clay stated to the Senate in an 1850 speech arguing his case for the compromise of 1850 “Every question, political, civil, or ecclesiastical - however foreign to the subject of slavery - brings up slavery....”(Clay) Slavery, much as the sun when compared to our weather, was indeed the root cause of the many varied conflicts that lead up to the American civil war.
Since slavery was the primary cause of the conflicts that eventually lead to the secession of 11 southern states, and in turn the civil war, it seems only fitting that slavery is the first issue to be examined. Historically, while slavery has always been an issue that can cause many debates, it must be examined through the eyes of both sides, in this case the American north, and the American South. The north's view of slavery had only one true, logical, and factual argument: morality. The issue of slavery has been justified by many different reasons, but in the end, has always lost to morality. The phrase “All men are created equal” has never been believed to be a falsehood, for the obvious reason that our destiny, fate, or whatever you may wish to call our sense of higher calling, does not depend on how we are born; rather, it depends on a combination of factors, most of which are, ultimately, in our own control. Thus, for us to own another person is to treat them, not as a person, but as a piece of property; and if we are to do so, and yet believe in the proposition that all men are created equal, we are committing hypocrisy, a cardinal sin, no matter who you talk to. However, the South had quite a different take on the topic of slavery, that focused on two main points: it's impact on the Southern economy, and the so called happy plantation theory; which stated that the slaves were “ [living] the happy life of their singing, dancing, banjo-strumming “darkies.”” (Kennedy 359)
There is no doubt that, without slavery, the southern economy would fall into a state of shambles. Because the southern economy was largely based on huge plantations, and there was little machination in the process's involved in agriculture until the early 1900's, it was much cheaper for the southern plantation owner to simply buy slaves, build them some small houses, and make sure they provided adequate food, water, and medical attention, then it would have been for them to pay for the labor required. The second strongest argument the south had, the so-called Happy plantation theory, gained ground for two primary reasons. First of all, with few exceptions, most slaves were treated decently at worst; this was because the slave owners viewed slaves as an investment, and as such, they made sure that they could get the maximum value out of their investment.
Secondly, they used the plight of the so-called “new immigrants”, and compared their living conditions to that of the slaves. The new immigrants were often forced to take jobs that paid mere pennies on the hour, die to the amount of competition they created amongst themselves. With such low wages, they were forced to live in substandard housing, and often times were forced to survive on meager portions, thus leading to hunger becoming an epidemic of it's own right. In comparison, slaves were given plenty of food, and living conditions that, if not luxurious, were more than adequate to meet their needs.
While slavery was an issue in itself, it also added fuel to another fire of sorts: state's rights. While slavery was the underlying cause of all the conflicts that lead up to the secession, and thus the civil war, states rights was the upfront factor that led to the civil war. Slavery had always been a sore spot in America. On one hand, the government was pushed by abolitionists to abolish slavery; on the other hand, the government knew that by abolishing slavery outright they would face a splitting of the union, which as something they were sworn to protect. One lawmaker in particular, Henry Clay, was instrumental in creating a compromise between both sides. He authored several key compromises that, while not solving the problem, were all temporary solutions. The most well known of these compromises, the Missouri Compromise, established three primary things:
Missouri was to be admitted as a slaveholding state
Maine was to be admitted as a free state
In the rest of the Louisiana Territory north of the latitude 36 30', slavery was prohibited. (Newman 146)
This was to have the desired impact of preserving the union, whilst maintaining a delicate balance between the slaveholding south, and the free north, for the time being. However, as more states outside of the Louisiana Territory joined the union, the Missouri Compromise no longer was adequate to do the job of maintaining the delicate balance. This balance finally tipped when, in the election of 1860 Abraham Lincoln won the election without capturing a single southern state. It was at this point that the southern states began to have proof that they no longer had any say in the running of America, and so they decided the only way to gain the right to have say in the running out their country, they choose to secede, and form their own country.
Slavery was the main underlying factor in every single conflict that led to the civil war. Slavery has always been an issue that is hotly contested, and has lead to too many conflicts then can be recalled in this one paper. However, it is possible for those of us driven by our morals to rest easy at night, for due to conflicts such as the American civil war, slavery has been abolished in all but the most remote corners of the world.
