The Civil War lasted from 1861-1865. It happened inside of the United States and was between the Northern and Southern states
Opposing Sides
During the civil war there were mainly two different viewpoints. The North (Union), who did not fully support the idea of engaging themselves into another war, and the South (Confederacy), who supported the war in hopes that winning would ultimately save, or protect, their way of life 1. These two different ideas developed from many things, a big one of them being the issue of slavery. To understand why you must first take into account that the Southern Economy and Northern Economy were drastically different. The South's Economy was based almost fully on agriculture, which they felt supported their need for slaves. Slavery still existed in the North, but there weren't as many slaves in the North because their economy was based on industrial pursuits, rather than agricultural. The North was still able to farm and what-not, it was just that their climate was more suitable for other things. Many Northerners, but not all, were abolitionists or believed that should be abolished, and worked actively to make sure that it was. Many Northerners just viewed the idea of owning another person as immoral and wrong, so they dismissed the South's need for slavery. The Southerners felt that the North's oppression to their use of slavery was going to threaten their way of life- so two different viewpoints developed. Slavery wasn't the only thing that the two sides argued about, but it seemed to be the most prominent.
No Compromise
The inability for the North and South to Compromise about slavery was one of the main causes of the Civil War. The Majority of Northerners thought that slavery was wrong because their economy was based on free labor and they viewed owning another person as "economically backward, morally repugnant, and politically anti democratic" 2. They viewed the Southern's need for slavery unnecessary. The southern economy ran almost fully on agricultural pursuits, so much actually that of the twelve-million people that lived in the south- one out of every three was an enslaved person. Slave labor yielded most of the south's cash crops mostly because slaves would work hard enough and cheaply enough to provide the massive profits that slave owners expected from selling and exporting crops. The southern economy depended much more on slave labor than the northern economy did, so when northerners started to try and take away their slaves- they felt as if they were trying to change their way of life and could not find a resolution to slavery that wouldn't leave their economy in turmoil. This was one of the two sides of the inability to compromise that lead to the civil war.
Stepping Stones
With all of the events that led to the civil war, war, in order to resolve all of the conflict, seemed to be inevitable. The first events that literally caused society to become so divided that war was the only solution was The Missouri Compromise. It was one of the first attempts at Compromise before the Civil War. It was made in 1820 and stated that Maine would enter a free state. while Missouri would enter as a slave state. It also formed an imaginary line at 36*, 30* which divided the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase into slave and free territory, the north being free territory, and the south being slave territory. The Missouri Compromise didn't help at all, actually it simply just divided the country into two, literally. The next attempt at Compromise was the Compromise of 1850. It was written by Senator Henry Clay and had 5 provisions. The first said the California would be admitted as a free state, the second that slavery would not be restricted in the territories of New Mexico and Utah. The third provision said that Texas would give up land in its border dispute with New Mexico, the fourth that a strict fugitive slave act would be put in place to help recapture runaway slave. This provision was also referred to as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. The final and fifth provision said that the slave trade would be outlawed in Washington, D.C. Southerners reactions towards the second and fourth provision were more favorable than Northerners reactions towards them. The next event was the publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book shined a light on the cruelty of slavery that many were not completely aware of. Millions of Northerners turned against slavery, while many Southerners widely criticized the book and author. The publishing of this book caused the country to become even more divided. Another event that caused society to become extremely divided was the ruling of the Scott v. Sanford court case. Dred Scott was a Missouri Slave who was suing his owner for his freedom. In the ruling the Supreme Court said the Dred Scott was not a citizen, his time in a free territory did not make him a free man, and that the Constitution did not allow Congress to ban slavery in the territories. The North was appalled at the ruling, while the South had their faith in the country restored, almost. But in the end the ruling just ended up dividing the country even more. John Brown's Raid at Harpers Ferry was another event that divided the country even further. In 1859, after gaining control of the federal arsenal, John Brown hoped to arm slaves and lead them in a revolt. His plan did not succeed. Brown was quickly captured, put on trial. and found guilty of murder and treason. Many in the North thought that brown was a martyr, or hero, to the abolitionist cause. White southerners were outraged by the north's response to Brown's actions. One of the big events that caused the Civil War was the Election of 1860. Most southerners voted for John C. Breckinridge , while most northerns voted for Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was elected and southerners were outraged. After this many of the states started to secede from the union, South Carolina was the first. The last event that caused the Civil War was the Attack on Fort Sumter. Confederate forces attacked the fort on April 12, 1861 after hearing news that President Lincoln would attempt to resupply Fort Sumter 3. This was the event that marked the start of the Civil War, because tensions between the North and South were at an ultimate high.
A Change in the Weather
The Civil War divided the country into two. The North continued to keep Abraham Lincoln as the president of the union- while the seceded south was now governed by Jefferson Davis. With the end of the Civil War African Americans were now able to run for/hold office because after the Republican Congress rejected the Reconstruction plan of President Andrew Jackson, they enacted laws and Constitutional Amendments that empowered the federal government to enforce the principle of equal rights, and gave black southerners the right to vote also with the Fifteenth Amendment. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, and the Fourteenth Amendment granted Civil Rights to all 4. These three amendments were made almost directly after the end of the Civil War. With the abolishment of slavery individual citizens were free to migrate west, which sped up westward expansion immensely. Much of the south was destroyed as a result of the war, which also helped speed this process up- along with the offer of cheap land to settlers 5.
The End of it All
The Civil War ended on April 9, 1865. General Robert E. Lee surrendered at the Appomattox Courthouse 6. The South went into the war wanting to avoid losing- which they hadn't, so their original goal hadn't been reached. The North was simply just trying to conquer as much of the south as necessary to put down the insurgency of the southern states that seceded. The South tried to fight in the war to preserve their way of life (SLAVERY!). They weren't able to keep this goal because of not only the Emancipation Proclamation, which didn't actually abolish slavery, but said that all of the slaves should be free, but also the Thirteenth Amendment which abolished slavery, effectively crushing the South's goal of preserving their way of life. The South also fought to get states' rights, which was the original reason that they seceded from the union. They believed that there were many rights that should've been given to the states that were given to the federal (national) government. They felt that they should have these rights and decided to swiftly secede after not receiving them. They didn't get the rights that they wanted, but they in fact led the paved the way for some of the right's that the state level of government has today. They also wanted to establish themselves as an independent republic, which they weren't able to do because after the lost the war they lost the war.