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Was the American Civil War Inevitable?

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Was the American Civil War Inevitable?
Was the American civil war inevitable?

The civil war was inevitable, only however, after one key event; the cotton gin made the civil war inevitable. The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 was the key element which enabled the south to have sufficient vested interest in their traditional lifestyle in order to feel the need to defend it at all costs even from their Northern countrymen. The core argument of this essay centres around the evidence which clearly defines their being in existence two ‘nations' with in America constantly in opposition to each other. Therefore the growth of sectionalism and the events which led up to the conflict made war an inevitable outcome of the hostilities which had arisen from the to ideologically different factions which grew in the United States. Firstly this essay will identify the economic factors which made the civil war an inevitable event with reference to the singular factor that could have averted the need for the conflict. Second it will identify the political measures which were dictated by the sectional economic interests. The third section of this essay will introduce the ideological incompatibility between north and south which added fuel to the fire of sectionalism. The fourth section will discus the underlining social conflict which made inevitable not only the civil war but also a "second American revolution". The final section will deal with the counter arguments which advocate the alleged ‘repressible' nature of the War Between the States.

Economic Victory was thought to have been in the hands of the modern north that saw with the end of the slave trade and the unproductive problems of slavery, the decline of the southern economy. If the economy had continued to decline then the slave labour would have surely died out and the north would have a bloodless victory on their hands. However with the invention of Eli Witney's cotton gin in {date} slavery was born again and with ruthless further the south clung on to



Bibliography: Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (1988) By James M Ordeal by fire volume one the coming of war (1992) By James M The Emergence of Lincoln, Vol.II (1950) By Allan Nevins Conflict & Consensus in American History 9th edition vol. 1 (1998) By Allen F The rise of American civilization, vol.II (1927) By Charles and Marry Beard Interpretations of American history patterns and perspectives vol.1.To 1877 6th Ed. (1987) By Gerald N The Secessionist impulse: Alabama and Mississippi in 1860 (1974) By Barney, William L

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