What caused the Civil War?

Garry Adelman gives a brief rundown on the causes of the American Civil War.

Welcome to Battlefield U! We provide answers to your questions about the Civil War, Revolutionary War and War of 1812. We aim to increase your baseline knowledge for school, battlefield visits or just to help you show off at social events. Check in on Tuesdays for our newest Battlefield U installment.

[boldcounsel]

"Don't believe everything you see on the internet."

-Abraham Lincoln, 1872

[Lasalle]

Oh god let the comment battles begin, good luck to yall

[CruzerLovesveggies]

“The war itself did not start over slavery or secession but the unions fort being fired upon”, them he does the old bait and switch to what the causes was, to were the war started to take place .”
Because of the fact that the entire way of life for the south was the exploitation of slaves, young women and children. Half of which were treated like dogs . In fact were thought of as 1/3 of a human being ! So don’t tell us that the war stated over some stupid fort . God dam ! What’s wrong with you guys

[mackermicker]

Somebody who know nothing about the civil war thinks it was about slavery

Somebody who knows something about the civil war thinks it about states rights

Somebody who knows a lot about the civil war knows it’s about slavery

[leoren]

Very poorly stated last section there on Ft. Sumter.. After telling us that the war was about slavery (true - just read the Confederate states' own announcements), but then go on to say that the beginning of the war was not about slavery etc. .... what the heck? What he meant to say is that the first conflict of the war began with a conflict over the use of Fort Sumter. Wish this would be taken down and re-made, and words chosen more carefully!

[rickschaut]

Well, we can believe the history that Jefferson Davis wrote after the South had lost the war; a history in which he tried desperately to convince himself and others that the South really had fought for something noble. Or, we can believe the history where Alexander Stevens stood before the Virginia secession convention, in April of 1861, and boldly declared that it was all about the preservation of a way of life built on slavery.

I will say this: the revision of history didn’t occur before the war was fought.

[TassadarProtos]

I have a question, if you don´t mind:
Why not "Secession" war instead of "Civil" War?
Thank you so much!

[conorgibson]

This comments section is going to be fun.

[cjr]

Some states believed they had the right to withdraw from a Union of states which had usurped state control over a major domestic issue, and they were willing to fight to death for their right to independence. Other states in the old union believed secession would not only perpetuate slavery, but also set the stage for a full dissolution of the United States in the coming years; they were willing to fight to death to preserve their country for posterity. The result was an unsolveable collision of the two greatest American ideals: liberty and independence, normally on the same side, but now tragically opposed. As historian Shelby Foote once said, the Civil War was truly the "crossroads of our being."

[EclecticHillbilly]

Lincoln wasn't on the ballot in the Southern states in the 1860 election. Imagine what would happen today if a president was elected who wasn't even on the ballot in a third of the

[cjr]

This question is the ultimate can of worms in American history!

[WackypackagesMan]

The cause we're a multitude of events and issues within the country at the time

[chrischart]

The South seceded because of slavery. Quit making excuses for southern racism.

[englishplease]

Yup this is true wrote and reference this for AMERICAN US HISTORY CLASS. 😂

[АнтонСамойлов-дч]

Slavery is awful and should be abolished. I believe that five or seven rebel states seceded because of the issue of slavery but as for others the reasons are much more complicated.

[jamesb.]

Historians always seem to overlook the true cause of the civil war. Slavery was a small part, the "rights" of the southern states to govern themselves was at the top of the list. The right of each state government to govern its people as they saw fit, not be dictated to by the central federal government. The federal government was only there to bind the states together, not control them. After the civil war, the states lost much of their freedom and power to be individual and was now controlled by federal law. The problem it creates is what we have today. What is good for one state may not be good for the people of another..but it has become one shoe fits all. May be it’s time to re-visit this argument again!

[QuarantineEng]

Started over states rights... not slavery. Slavery wasnt an issue till the 2nd year

[WilliamLopez-ysgs]

Another know it all that knows nothing

[OrnelasB]

The Civil War began at Ft. Sumpter but the Civil War was about slavery.