Causes of the Civil War

Causes of the Civil War

The causes of the Civil War are many, the obvious being slavery, however that is merely on the surface. The underlying causes were far more detrimental to the health of the union, the main cause being money. The economic disputes between the North and the South, which were partially over slavery, were the root to the South seceding. The resentment felt by the South towards the North, because of the growth of cities, ports, and the economy there in general, in addition to the idea of the abolishment of slavery, which would put a serious dent into the economy of the South which was already struggling led them to secede. It has been said that money is the root of all evil, and it certainly is in this case.

To understand the dispute one must look at the many glaring differences between not only the economies, but life itself in the North and South. The North was an ever changing, ever evolving area, always welcoming changes and advancements in technology. The interest was always in how to produce more, faster, and for cheaper. Not only did Northerners gain economically through manufacturing but they owned the majority of the importing and exporting business in the country. While the North was looking to advance and change the South was the exact opposite. While Northerners looked for ways to maximize output, farming in the South was as labor intensive in 1800 as it was in 1860. The South did not accept change, and did its best to stick with traditional practices. What enabled the southern economy to work at all was the reason it could not follow the North. Because slaves were capital and labor it made it impossible to have a capital intensive economy; there weren't any tractors for farmers to purchase, they purchased more slaves. Another significant difference between the North and South was how they valued education. In the North education was held in the highest esteem and nearly everyone was literate, the South however was not quite the same. Amongst Southerners there was no commitment to education; almost half of the population was illiterate. This contributed to the economic separation because it was educated minds of that time that was making all the technological advancements; they were the ones running the factories and the ports. If the South had educated their children the way the North did perhaps there would have been more technological advancements made in farming. The lack of middle