Issues of the Civil War

Beginning with the Revolutionary War, and followed by the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights, the United States carried a mentality for warfare into the time of the Civil War. The pursuit of happiness and liberty, along with the right to bear arms boosted the environment of a civil war. In conjunction with political motives there were also economic and cultural reasons to begin war. The Southern states wanted their own governing body without the laws of the Union. Not being able to compromise with the Union, led to a desire to succeed from the United States.

The Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights became tremendous symbols of the freedoms that are so valuable to the United States. Although the issue of slavery was overlooked at the time both of these documents were written, the fact that the colonies had broken away from their oppressor was looked on as an enormous achievement. The Southern states attempted to accomplish a similar feat. The Missouri Compromise was an attempt to resolve the issue of slavery. But all the assembly had completed was maintaining an equal balance between slave states and free states. Another compromise, which had been made regarding the issue of slaves, was the Three-Fifths compromise. The Three-Fifths Compromise established that three-fifths of a state's slave population would count towards the state's population. The slave states would uphold more power in the House of Representatives, if slaves became counted in the population. Another step towards the Civil War was the War of 1812. This war resulted in an increased birth rate and also economic growth for both the north and the south. The war also demonstrated that the United States no longer relied on Britain, and showed that the country could be independent.

A subject, which played a significant role in the development in the Civil War, was economics. One key factor of the Revolution was money. British placed high taxes on goods to make a first-rate profit. Starting with the Industrial Revolution there became a need for good economy. The Industrial Revolution set off a surge of economy. The birth of factories in the North and the cotton gin in the south led an increase for opportunity. The invention of the cotton gin brought more attention upon the farming business, many people then pursued careers in growing cotton. Transportation also contributed to the boost of economy. Roads, rivers, railroads, and canals allowed goods to effectively be sent out across the country. With the growth of business, came a demand for slaves. Slaves were expensive but helped business. A main incentive for the South to succeed from the union was the cotton belt. The cotton belt stretched from South Carolina to Texas, the economies in these states relied heavily on the commerce of cotton.

The cultural life of United States made many changes during the period of the Revolution to the time of the Civil War. One reason that started the expansion of expanding the United States was the theory of manifest