The Main Reasons of the American Civil War

Subject: History
Pages: 1
Words: 276
Reading time:
< 1 min

It was evident that the main reason for the Civil War was the inconsistency in the views on slavery. However, there are far more aspects for consideration in the politics of the parties’ war and interests. First, there is a saying about the American Civil War, which sounds in the following way: “rich man’s war but poor man’s fight”. The quote clearly demonstrates the reasons and the incentives of the conflict, as the primary sufferers or successors of the outcome were the slaveowners in the South. Moreover, the Confederate Army was comprised of individuals who did not own the slaves, and this fact correlated with the quote mentioned above. Hence, there can be concluded that the war was for protecting the interests of the wealthy and influential people rather than the interests of the general population of the Southern states.

Considering the other side of the conflict, the army volunteers were mainly German immigrants, which poses the question of their interest in the war and the importance of the outcome for them. The immigrants came to the United States in pursuit of liberty and democracy. Since they expressed hatred to the aristocracy and, subsequently, the slaveowners, they had their interests in the conflict. The newcomers fought for the protection of their beliefs, the democratic principles, which were the main incentive for their immigration, and freedom. Considering the extent to which the German immigrants were praised for their actions during the fights, it can be assumed that they were also active for their own merits. As a result, the two sides struggled for their values in the American Civil War.