American History: A Survey (Brinkley), 13th Edition

Chapter 14: THE CIVIL WAR

Essay

1
Why did the South secede? What pushed the Southern states over the brink? Examine the events of 1859 and 1860 in the light of Southern social and economic concerns and from the standpoint of Southern political philosophy. From this, determine why the South resorted to secession.
2
In the last chapter you assessed the "blundering generation" theory and thought about whether the Civil War was a "repressible" or an "irrepressible" conflict. After studying this chapter, revise your previous answer.
3
Some Northerners also regarded secession as an answer to the problem of slavery. Why was the majority willing to fight to hold the Union together?
4
Why did the North win? In an essay some years ago, Richard Current suggested that "God was on the side of the heaviest battalions," but is that a complete explanation? What other factors contributed to the outcome? Bring together these factors, and, after careful analysis, determine why the North did win.
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