Given the escalating tensions and violence leading up to the Civil War, it could be argued that war was indeed inevitable. The Bleeding Kansas border war, the Boston riots, the beating of Senator Charles Sumner, the Dred Scott decision, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry, and South Carolina's attack on Fort Sumter all demonstrate how deeply divided the nation had become over the issue of slavery.
The violent actions taken by both abolitionists and pro-slavery forces, as well as the failure of political compromises, showed that the differences between the North and South were irreconcilable. The South's fears of losing power in Congress and the potential threat to the institution of slavery fueled their determination to secede from the Union. The election of Abraham Lincoln, who was opposed to the expansion of slavery, was seen by the South as a final straw.
Ultimately, the combination of political, social, and economic factors, along with the inability to find a peaceful resolution to the issue of slavery, made war seem inevitable. The violent actions and deep-seated beliefs on both sides created a powder keg that eventually exploded into the bloodiest conflict in American history.
The national debate over the expansion of slavery into newly organized states was not one only of words but of blood.
• 1854-1861: Bleeding Kansas border war over the statehood debate,
• 1854: the Boston riots over the forced return of runaway enslaved man, Anthony Burns, as required by the Fugitive Slave Act
• 1856: the beating of Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor that almost killed him,
• 1856: the Republican Party formally adopts the position that slavery should not expand to any of the new states created in the western territories.
• 1857: Dred Scott v Sandford Supreme Court decision proclaims no African American free or enslaved, have any rights whites are bound to respect.
• 1859: John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry which attempted to arm slaves to form a rebellion to march through the south – arguably the slave owners' worst fear.
• 1860: Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, wins election to the Presidency. South Carolina secedes.
• 1861: South Carolina opens fire on Fort Sumter.
Statehood gave the people representation (power) in Congress. The Civil War was the final result of a long and violent struggle over whether or not slavery would expand into the new states. The South feared that if all new states became free-states their power in Congress would decline to such as level that the institution of slavery might be taken away from them by the overwhelming numbers of free states. The compromises of the 1820's and 1850, which held the union together, were wiped away by the Dred Scott decision.
Considering the violent nature of the slavery debate and the loss of past compromises, was war inevitable? Explain your answer with specific examples from the readings
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