1. Lesson: The 5 Major Causes of the Civil War
Unit 10: The Civil War
Lesson: The 5 Major Causes of the Civil War

2. 1. Slavery There were many causes of the Civil War
As we complete this unit we will narrow them down to 5 major causes
When you think of the Civil War, what do you think of? What were they fighting about?
1. Slavery

3. Why would they fight about this?
It was a violation of
human rights

4. 2. Economic & Social Differences
Northern Economy =
Didn’t need
industry
agriculture
Southern Economy =
Needed
slaves
slaves

5. cheap manufactured goods
The South sold cotton to the North &
Europe then started to sell
to the South, so the South bought much less from the North
As a result, the North
Europe
cheap manufactured goods
lost money

6. the North angry To fix their problem of losing money,
The gov’t put a tax on imports,
hoping the South would then buy from
This made the South
the North
angry

7. together in industries
Social Differences In the North, different classes worked In the South, they maintained the old social order of
together in industries
lower-class whites and slaves being subservient to upper-class whites

8. 3. States’ Rights v. Federal Rights
The Fugitive Slave Act was a Federal law that said it was illegal to…
help slaves run away
This means the national gov’t forced northern states to enforce a law they disagreed with
Many northern states …
refused to enforce it

9. The Dred Scott Supreme Court case ruled that the Constitution did not give Congress (national gov’t) the right to
prohibit slavery in the territories
ie: The national gov’t couldn’t force states to be slave or free. States had the right to choose.

10. 4. Growth of the Abolition Movement
The following are things that angered abolitionists & made them want to work even harder to abolish slavery
What was the name of the act that involved helping runaway slaves?
Fugitive Slave Act made the North…
enforce a policy they didn’t believe in

11. more Northerners than ever against slavery Why? It showed them…
What book did Harriet Beecher Stowe write?
Publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin swayed…
more Northerners than ever against slavery
Why?
It showed them…
how brutally some slaves were treated

12. 2 reasons why the Dred Scott decision angered Northerners/Abolitionists (there are more than 2, but we’ll only write 2)
It said that slaves were
It said that Congress couldn’t prohibit…
slavery in the territories
property

13. 5. Election of 1860/Lincoln’s Election
The South disliked him because they thought he…
was an
wanted to
The South feared they would lose…
their voice in the national gov’t, so they started to secede
abolitionist
declare war on the South