How did slavery help start the civil war?

Answer 1

This is largely due to the fact that many people feel this is more justifiable. The real reason for the Civil War was State's rights. Slavery was the main catalyst. Never forget that Lincoln himself stated that if he could keep the southern states from seceding by allowing the institution of slavery to continue, he would. Lincoln's sole reason for going to war was to preserve the Union. There are many aspects of the U.S. economy and society in the time leading up to the Civil War that actually LED to the war itself. It wasn't just slavery. There isn't one definite answer to why the war started. The reason they say slavery started the war is probably because it was one of the many aspects beginning to be controled by federal government at the time. The Southern states felt that their state rights were being impeded upon by the government. One of these rights was their "right" to own slaves. Hope that answers this a bit. Slavery was AN ISSUE, but not THE CAUSE. Slavery would have eventually been abolished for economic reasons without the war. There were some in the North who truly saw slavery as an evil that should be abolished, but the majority was not so vehemently opposed to it. Only a very small percentage in the South owned more than one or two slaves and therefore had an economic interest in maintaining the status quo. Actually, only 5% owned even one slave. What can we compare this to in today

Answer 2

During the early period of the United States, the argument over whether future states would or would not allow slavery was a key point of contention. It was being argued even before the United States was fully formed. There were arguments over how slavery would be mentioned in the Declaration of Independence.

Over the next 80-90 years, several compromises were argued and attempted, and eventually eleven slave-owning" states attempted secession over the question of whether their citizens would or would not be allowed to own slaves.

Many argue that the American Civil War was more about the sovereignty of individual states over the federal government than over slavery, specifically. Still, most people agree now, as they did then, that the 'right' to own slaves was the primary point of contention.