What+caused+the+American+Civil+War?+RS

The American Civil War was brought about by many events leading up to the actual declaration of war. They included the Compromise of 1850, Kansas-Nebraska Act, and John Brown's raid...just to name a few. The "point of no return" between the north and the south what caused the civil war was the southern states secession from the Union. With this act of secession by seven southern states, a compromise seemed unlikely to be possible. The states in question were so fed up with the north's attitude of them that secession was the only way to show them they were serious. Even if a compromise was attempted...what would it do? It was just push war back even farther and make it even more inevitable. Northerner's viewed this act of secession a slap in the face...but it went both ways. In the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln wasn't even on the presidential ballot in the south. This angered the south because it told them that they didn't have a say in who "ran" their country. Thomas Jefferson stated that if the government was doing justice, it was the right of the people to change or abolish said government. Secession is a public attack on federal justice. The Confederate States of America were telling the United States of America that the couldn't take bantering back-and-forth anymore. The only way to allow themselves to have what they want is to secede. The North knew this was going to happen based on the comments made by the south if Lincoln won, they would secede; so the north knew what was coming their way. The North knew that letting the South leave was not an option. They felt that war was the only way to resolve the conflicts between the two sides because compromise attempts, which lead to fighting in the first place ("Bleeding Kansas"), were the precursor to all-out declared war. Lincoln did not have a choice. He had to preserve the Union on what was already set. He knew that the task at hand was going to be difficult, and possibly use undefined powers, maintaining the nation as a whole was vital in the pursuit of peace between the two sides.