What Caused the Civil War?

In this video, some of the primary causes of the civil war are highlighted. The primary cause of the war was due to the controversy regarding slavery. This is plain from original documents from both Northern and Southern sources. The issue of slavery was a moral, economic, and political issue, which made it particularly hard to resolve. Geographical concerns also played a part in the South’s perception that they could only survive if slavery continued to exist. Smaller farms in the North were more numerous and could be worked by a single family with a few hired hands. The vast plantations of the south needed huge amounts of manual labor that it was felt could not make a profit through paid workers. It was impractical to hire paid hands and still make a profit. Therefore, it was believed that slavery was necessary. Another cause of the Civil War was related to States Rights. It was believed in the South that a state had the power to nullify Federal regulations. The South also believed that the North was over-represented in Congress and therefore more favorable to Northern rather than Southern concerns. It was true that the North had received more federal financial provision for developing infrastructure (like roads and railroads). Finally, there were strong cultural and social differences between the North and the South that helped increase the tension and disagreement with each other. The North was more egalitarian and the South was more oligarchic and class based.