What+caused+the+Civil+War+more+than+anything+else?ES

There was many causes of the Civil War. The main cause was the Secession of the Southern States. Other events during this time led to Secession of the Southern States. The North and the South were divided on the issue of slavery. The North did not want slavery to expand, while the south wanted to expand slavery and gain more slave states. The North believed that the south was holding up national progress by continually making slavery an issue. The North was looking into the future by planning to build a transcontinental railroad running from coast to coast through the northern part of the country. The south was more concerned about how the new territories would be divided, slave or free. A railroad would help to populate these new territories, specifically Kansas and Nebraska. The South didn't want these areas to become populated and then apply for statehood as a free state. More free states would offset the balance of slave and free states in the Senate, and make it easier for the North to abolish slavery. Although, popular sovereignty was the new policy. This issue caused "Bleeding Kansas." Another issue that led up to the southern secession was the Sumner Caning. Charles Sumner was a vocal anti-slavery and senator from Massachusetts who gave a speech condemning all slavery supporters. Preston Brooks, a South Carolina representative, thought Sumner's speech was an attack on him and his state. He then beat Charles Sumner with a cane. The North was outraged and saw Preston Brooks as just above an animal, while the South saw him as a hero who protected southern rights. The South even sent Preston Brooks more canes to replace the one he broke while beating Charles Sumner. These events contributed to Southern anger towards the United States. The south believed that they no longer had a say in the government. The south also thought that it was no longer beneficial to southern economy to stay apart of the United States. Slavery was starting to be challenged and in the future could become illegal. In 1860 the South decided to secede from the United States. South Carolina, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas formed the Confederate States of America. All conflicts before the secession of the south could have been compromised or fixed without violence. When the south seceded from the nation, it would take more than a compromise to bring them back to the United States. It would take a war. One last minute compromise written by James Henry Crittenden called the Crittenden Compromise proved this point.