The statement had the leaders of this country controlled the extremists on both sides the war could have been avoided is totally false. The Civil War was definitely unavoidable. Because of regional and political disputes the country would have continued to boil even if the extremists on both sides were kept under control. The true statement is No matter what was done politically a conflict was necessary to eradicate slavery from this continent.
Anger in the South was becoming a growing trend. The Southerners were angered by the fact that, in their view, the North was trying to dissolve their way of life. Congressman Robert Toombs of Georgia says, if by your legislation you northerners seek to drive us from the territories. . .
I am for disunion(A). This Congressman from the South is so intent on making slaves legal in the territories that he is willing to break with the North over it. He also says that California and New Mexico were purchased by the common blood of the people(A). This was the view of John C. Calhoun that people from every state fought to gain these territories so everyone should have equal access to them.
It was not only the people of the South that were taking on these feelings of hatred toward the North, but the government also. The South Carolina government said this government. . . has been defeated and the Government itself has been destructive of them principles by the actions of the nonslaveholding states(I). If your government, which includes some of the most educated people from your region, believes wholeheartedly that the North are acting against those in the South wouldnt that make you a little more incline to believe it yourself? With this type of thought becoming more and more the normal view of the South it would be impossible to avoid some kind of conflict.
In the North opposition to slavery and the belief that the country can not survive divided were becoming the more dominant train of thoughts. Abraham Lincoln said that a house divided can not stand (F). He felt that either the country would be all slave or all free, but he knew fully that abolitionists would not give up. He also felt though that this issue would be resolved and that he did not expect the Union to be dissolved (F).
He obviously thought that the South would give up easier, but he was wrong. In Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe she shows how evil slavery was in Document C by basically showing the cruelty that slaves had to endure and that Southern slave holders were evil with no remorse. She shows that slaves are mistreated and that this can not go on (P-C). With political leaders such as Lincoln believing that someone, particularly the South, would give in and authors such as Stowe showing the evils of slavery people in the North were bound to believe that slavery should be abolished. With more and more people feeling strongly about this in the North a conflict was bound to occur. In conclusion the question why.
. . can we not withdraw this vexed question of slavery in the US from politics(D) posed by Stephen Douglas can be answered in this way. The reason why the US could not just forget about the slavery issue and let people decide for themselves if they wanted slaves in their area is because of stubbornness. People that thought slavery was evil and that it should be abolished would not give up until their views were excepted, and people that thought slavery was fine and should continue to thrive were not going to give up until there views were accepted.
Because of these reasons the Civil War was definitely irrepressible.Words/ Pages : 618 / 24
