Slavery - Primary Cause Of Civil War

Slavery Was the Primary Cause of the Civil War

The American Civil War, also known as the War Between the States, the War of Rebellion, or the War for the Southern Independence, began on April 12, 1861.

In the history of the United States, African Americans have always been discriminated against. When African Americans first came to America, they were taken against their will and forced to work as laborers. They became slaves to the rich, greedy, Americans. They were given no pay and were often beaten. African Americans fought for their freedom, and up until the Civil War it was never given to them. When the Civil War began, African Americans wanted to take part in fighting to free all slaves. Their opportunity to be soldiers and fight along side white men equally did not come easily, but eventually African Americans proved themselves able to fight as true American heroes.

The Southern states including the 11 states that formed the Confederacy all relied on slavery to support their economy, while we, the Northern states, opposed it. Southern states used slave labor to produce crops, especially cotton. Slavery up here was outlawed, although few of us opposed it.

The road to freedom from slavery was a long and hard for the African Americans. In the northern states the Civil War began as a fight against the succession of the Confederate states from the Union. Abraham Lincoln, who was President at this time, wanted to save the nation by bringing the southern states back to the Union, but did not have much intention of freeing the slaves.

When the war was just beginning, ex-slaves and other African Americans wanted to get in on the action of the war. They wanted to fight against those who had enslaved them and their families for generations. They began volunteering and trying to enlist, but everywhere they went they were rejected. Even some abolitionists believed putting them in the battlefield would be putting African Americans higher than they should be. Even though the abolitionists wanted slaves to be free, they did not want them to be equal to the white male. The African Americans, however, refused