In the North, some disliked slavery because they felt it was wrong. Most people did not have an opinion on the matter, and even some people condoned it, because abolishing it would be bad for business. They thought that without the slaves, there would be no cotton. Without the cotton the textile industry would suffer.

It all started with the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which was enacted by Congress to put limits on the spread of slavery in what was left of the Louisiana Purchase. The Compromise admitted Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state in order to keep a balance between the slave states and free states. The South had an economic interest in the spread of slavery to the new territories so that new slave states could be created and the South’s po

The conflict between the North and the South was inevitable; because the South’s economy was based on cotton and therefore on slavery. The North was growing and the South thought it would lose its political power, which could lead to abolishing slavery. The North wanted to limit slavery and keep it out of the new territories. The Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act only added to the abhorrence between the two groups. The slavery issue could not be resolved in a respectful manner and would eventually cause a confrontation between the North and the South.

James Buchanan, the sitting President, felt powerless to act against the South. In the four months between Lincoln’s election and his inauguration, the South was allowed to strengthen its position undisturbed. Following Lincoln’s inauguration, the second wave of secession began on April 17 with Virginia. The wave of secession continued with Arkansas, Tennessee and North Carolina. The only slave states that did not leave the Union were Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware. These were known as Border States that remained loyal to the Union

Some topics in this essay:
North South, Purchase Compromise, Abraham Lincoln, Fort Sumter, South Lincoln’s, Steven Douglas, Kansas-Nebraska Act, War Lincoln, People North, Democratic Party, spread slavery, south carolina, north south, slavery territories, abraham lincoln, civil war, lincoln won election, newly formed, kansas-nebraska act, election 1860, wave secession, conflict north south, spread slavery territories,