Why Did the Civil War Start

The American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States or simply Civil War, is undoubtedly one of the most interesting chapters of the American history. As the name 'War Between the States' suggests, it was a war between the 'American Union' and the eleven Southern slave states which seceded from the American Union to form the 'Confederacy'. The war, which started in 1861, lasted for a period of four years before it finally came to an end with a win for the Union in 1865.

The American Civil War (1861-1865)

If you are looking for the exact moment when the battles of Civil War started, the answer would be when the Confederate forces attacked the military installation of the United States at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. If you are trying to find out what year did the Civil War start, the answer is 1861, but the actual buildup started way back when the abolitionists threatened the unethical practice of slavery in the United States.

The American Civil War battles started with the Confederate forces attacking the Union military installment at Fort Sumter in South Carolina on April 12, 1861. In response to this attack, Abraham Lincoln - the then President of the United States, called upon all the free states to send their voluntary forces to recapture the Federal property. This prompted the secession of four more slave states, and brought the total number of rebel states to eleven. Soon enough, both the sides were ready with their armies, and thus began one of the most gruesome war in the world history - the American Civil War.

Why Did the Civil War Start?

The reasons for the Civil War to start were aplenty, and virtually all of them revolved around the concept of slavery in the United States. Given below are the three main reasons which will give you the details about why did the American Civil War start.

Attempts to Abolish of Slavery
The economy of the Southern states (also known as the slave states) was dependent on agriculture and allied activities, owing to which there was a huge demand for slaves in these states. The Northern states on the other hand were much more liberal and favored the abolition of slavery. The hidden motive behind this was perhaps the fact that these free states needed work force to support their industrial sector led economy. While the politicians from the Northern states began lobbying for abolition of slavery, those from their Southern states counterparts opposed it. They even threatened to secede if the Federal administration took any such step, something which they eventually did, and this turned out to be one of the most important causes of this war.

Economic Divide Between the North and South
While the attempt to abolish slavery during the Civil War was the main trigger, the discontent among the people of Southern states had started building up long before. The main reason for this was the economic divide between the Northern states and Southern states. The industrial sector driven economy of the North was much better than the agriculture driven economy of the South. Similarly, the people from South were always of the opinion that the Federal government is pro-north, and all the policies which were dolled out from the White House were in favor of people from the Northern states. The people from Southern states, who were already discontent, felt that the Federal government's decision about abolition of slavery would also go in the favor of the Northern states, and hence they decided to secede from the Union.

Election of President Abraham Lincoln
Yet another major blow to the Southern States came in the form of election of the Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln over John C. Breckinridge, who was nominated by the Southern faction. The fact that the Republicans had campaigned against the unethical practice of slavery during the election campaign of 1860 had put forth Lincoln as an ardent critic of slavery, and when he got elected all the hopes of Southerners to keep the age-old practice of slavery intact were brought down. When the seven Southern slave states decide to secede from the Union, the Federal administration, under the leadership of Lincoln termed it a rebellion. This irked the Southerners even more, and what followed was the brutal Civil War which lasted for four years and killed millions of soldiers from both the sides.

Going through the causes and effects of Civil War, you get a rough idea about what the nation went through during this period. The war finally came to an end with a victory for the Union. Eventually, President Lincoln introduced the Emancipation Proclamation which marked the end of slavery in the United States, and while preserving the territorial integrity of the nation.