Was there anyway the civil war could have been avoided?

Answer 1

I have read some of the answers to this question, and the one that stunned me was the one that suggested peaceful secession and blockading as "solutions". First of all, one of the main reasons that caused the Civil War was preserving the Union. Peaceful secession? That would be doing the exact opposite of what the North wanted. Second, blockading is an act of war. This isn't "mommy's time-out" to a little child. These are two big military forces that can potentially cause the death of thousands. Starving the South wouldn't help at all, and in fact it would be the very start of the Civil War. The only way I can see the Civil War being avoided would to emancipate the slaves, and compensate owners with money so they could hire workers. This would preserve their way of life and dependent economy. It is what Britain and Russia did after all. Slave owners weren't owning slaves for the sake of owning slaves. They saw them as a way of helping their farm without any expense to them. If they were compensated with money, their way of life would be protected. This may also have helped seal the cracks that had divided the North and the South. IMO, No. You must remember that there were many underlying issues confronting America in the 1850s and into the 1860s. The north was industrializing itself. The south felt it could not compete against it's northern counterparts due to this. Then we have the whole slavery issue and states rights, against the background of westward expansion. Sometimes I believe people forget that the westward expansion led to southerners asking when new territories were to be admitted would they have the choice of free or slave states? The northern states were working on making new admissions only free states. This naturally worried the southern states as they could foresee a future where the federal gov't would have been dominated by free states, and as such the slave states would have virtually no voice in their own governance. This is the main driving force that led the southern states to secede. They felt that the north was deliberately trying to undermine them. These beliefs led to a constant escalation that eventually led to bloodshed and war. With these mitigating issues, it was inevitable that conflict was to follow. There were to many sides with opposite desires for the civil war to have been avoided. Of course! Several reasonable scenarios are:

1 - The seceding states could simply have been allowed to leave w/o violence, and recognized as an independent nation. This was what the original 7 seceding states said they wanted - to leave and be left alone.

2 - The seceding staes could be blockaded, nad interior trade cut off, sort of like economic sanctions, then enticed back. Sort of like, "Go to your room until you can act decently, then we;ll talk about this"

3 - In the early 50's, politicians who were visionary and able to put aside rhetoric could have proposed reasonable legislation to clarify the nature of states' rights versus the Federal government, sitmulate the South's economy with industry/commerce, and bring slavery to an eventual end. This would have defused many issues that led to the war. I must disagree, there were too many underlying squabbles for the South and North to remain at peace. The only thing that would have prevented the Civil War would be the election someone weaker then Lincoln, who would not have the resolve to not allow the SOuth to leave the Union. I agree that Civil War could not have been prevented. There had been tension since at least 1820 (Missouri Compromise). It was only a matter of time before compromises would no longer work.

As a response to an above entry. I don't believe your 2nd scenario of avoiding war. Is this not what the Union did in the war? The anaconda Plan? The blockade around the coast preventing trade? They would just have fought back. South Carolina had been looking for an excuse to secede for ages!

I am surprised no one mentioned the possibility of making a submission to the Supreme Court for a decision on secession. I am not saying it would have prevented the war but it would have given food for thought by both sides before starting one. My theory is that both sides were afraid to go that route because both were afraid they could loose. I am convinced that is the reason Davis was never tried for treason at the end of the war. The Union knew the question of secession would arise with the possibility of the Supreme Court being asked to make a decision.

The civil war could not have been avoided because of the high ternsions between the North and South. What happened has happened because of the way the U.S is. We have no choice on whether the confederate army was right in doing what they did, but then again we have no right what the army does now because of all the political bullcrap. We could have avoided it but the southern states thought that not paying for slavery could help them become richer and started a war because of it. War isnt something that people can vote on its something that people can participate in or have nothing to say about it its that simple. In my opinion i think it could have not been avoided. If you ask a lot of other people i believe they will say the opposite. But the truth is that no matter who says what we will always have had a war with the north because of slavery was abolished (Emancipation Proclamation).

The One True

No. There is no such thing as peaceful secession. The Union was to be preserved, whether they seceded or not. They would do it forcibly or diplomatically, but it is still not peaceful. Although it was thought to be only because of slavery, as is the main thought process by the average American, it was not. The states' rights were in a state of perish. The national government was becoming the aggressor. The South was going to secede no matter what, as Virginia, a leading state in the house of representatives, had seceded because of the onslaught of northern reps. Most other states seceded due to them. The Civil War could NOT have been avoided.

Of course the US Civil War could have been avoided. By looking back, and hindsight is 20-20 here are 3 of many reasons why.

1. The South could have agreed that slavery should be contained where it existed;

2. James Buchanan could have run for re-election; and

3. The founding fathers could have set a schedule for ending slavery.

Answer 2

This is a difficult question, but I would say no. The die on the issue of slavery had been cast, and there was no turning back from it. The South needed cheap labor (without pay) for their economy, and the slaves were the solution to their needs. -Unless- the Southern states would have agreed to some payment either through land or money to the slaves - thus taking them out of slavery and into the possibility of landowners, or paying for their freedom. But even this would've been stretching it! Northern economy based on industry had no need for slaves, and the gap between differences in the North and South were just too wide for a compromise of any type. It would've taken a -HUGE- effort for the South to begin to diversify its economy, and they were either not willing, or not prepared to do so.
It could have been avoided only if the abolition of slavery had been agreed by the South and slaves repatriated to Africa.

Answer 3

If California had been admitted to the Union as two states - North California and South California, meeting at the parallel of the Missouri line, the Missouri Compromise could have continued to hold.

Answer 4

If California could have been admitted to the Union as two separate states - North California and South California - they would not have needed the unsuccessful Compromise of 1850, and the debate would not have heated-up in the way it did.

Answer 5

The US Civil War could have been prevented. It became a reality when both sides decided to use armed force to either attempt to maintain the Union and armed force to depart from the US. Cooler heads would have worked out a compromise. US President Lincoln and Confederate President Davis would not compromise.

Answer 6

One way the US Civil War could have been avoided was for leaders to take the advice of Winfield Scott. Scott agreed with Senator John Crittenden's proposal to abandon all former party affiliations and to create the Union Party. Scott predicted that this would successfully end secession.

Answer 7

Probably not, the Regional rift had grown too deep.

Answer 8

It really depends on which civil war you are talking about.

But generally to prevent it, one side be so overwhelmingly powerful as to make it not a viable proposition.

Answer 9

Killing all the "americans". They are stupid.

Answer 10

No.