Mehmet BayramAPUSH 1April 15th , 2007 In 1860, the United States was locked in Civil War; it divided the country between the North and South. The American Civil War was one of the most controversial periods of the history of the United States. A common misconception was that the American Civil War was fought over slavery, when in fact there were several other reasons why the War Between the States was fought. Many factors and tensions caused this war, but the main ones were states’ rights, major political personalities, and territorial expansion . The Civil War lasted for four years, from 1861-1865. It was between the American people; primarily the northern states vs.the southern states. The South was called the Confederate States of America and was led by President Jefferson Davis. The North was still known as the United States of America, or the Union, and the people were called the Yankees or sometimes the Federals.They were led by President Abraham Lincoln . If you were to ask the average person the causes of the War Between the States, that person would most likely answer with one word: slavery.However, this was not the only cause . Slavery had been a historical problem before the war. Slavery came up in debate during the making of the American Constitution, and both Northern and Southern states held slaves . In the eyes of some Southerners, slavery was a necessary evil. The South accepted this idea as a way of life. The South found slavery highly profitable and knew their economy would collapse without it. Slavery, they believed, had to slowly die out, not instantly be destroyed, or the South could no longer raise the crops on which the American economy depended . 1 |P a g e
