civil war and reconstuction
Although some historians feel that the Civil War was a result of political blunders and that the issue of slavery did not cause the conflict, this interpretation fails to consider the two main causes of the war itself: the expansion of slavery, and its entrance into the political scene. By considering the personal opinions of people living in both the North and the South at the time of the war, as well as the political decisions made, one can understand the reasons behind the war, and then The revisionists believe that the issue of slavery was not a major cause of the war. Some argue that the war was caused by careless decisions made by politicians, who caused people to react with emotions that were out of proportion with the issues involved. Others feel that the slavery problem could have been solved without war. The problem with these theories is that the revisionists do not recognize slavery as the main difference between North and South. They also fail to realize that it was not simply political blunders that caused the war, but the discussion of slavery publicly among politicians. In his theory of the war, Michael Holt primarily considers the timing
"There will be no compromise--it is out of the question. But unfortunately due to the expansionism that followed with the annexation of Texas, and debates over what should be done with the lands gained in the Mexican War this proved to be impossible. The reason that slavery could exist without war in the United States until 1861 was because up until that time there was always enough land to expand. All of which infuriated the North, and convinced them that the south were trying to dominate the U. In his essay, "A Moral Problem," he says, " A society closed in the defense of evil institutions thus creates moral differences far too profound to be solved by compromise. As Schlesinger notes, "It was the moral issue of slavery, that gave the struggles over slavery their significance. Tragically, compromise was impossible, as each section felt that its personal liberty was at stake, and as a result this conflict could not be solved without war. " Although slave owners only made up 25% of the southern population it was a central component of their society. It is human nature to want to make what one has larger and stronger, just as the South wanted to expand and gain power. The South wanted more slave states, where the North wanted more free states, to give them more land and power in the Senate. The abolitionists were a minority, compared to more conservative Northerners. was an act of aggression" The United States was divided into three groups by the time the Civil War began: those who believed in the complete abolition of slavery, those who were against the expansion of slavery, and those who were pro slavery.
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Acceptance Essays
