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Q: What would you have done to prevent a Civil War? Why? 

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Q: What would you have done to prevent a Civil War? Why? 

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I believe that the only thing that could've been done to prevent the Civil War would've been for the North and South to listen to each other's wants and needs, then discuss the problems, and finally come to a compromise that benefitted the common humanity. The Southern states felt that they needed slavery to be able to succeed with their main source of income, which was farming and agriculture. The North, who wanted to abolish slavery and its expansion, did not try and help. Instead of constant arguing, they could've put their thoughts and ideas together and listened for the right solution to satisfy everybody. This could've been coming up with a new design for a machine that could do mechanical labor in the fields instead of slaves, which would've probably increased the South's income and emancipated the African-Americans. The North could've helped build the machines to match what was needed in the South, and they had many resources to help. If those in government and society had worked together more respectfully to feel common humanity for all, lessening hatred, greed, and fear, that could've guided and inspired them to be able to see possible solutions that they hadn't even thought of. This, and this alone, could've avoided the Civil War.

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Q: What is the overarching theme running through all of the causes of the war?

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Q: What is the overarching theme running through all of the causes of the war?

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The main theme through all the causes of the Civil War are the issues of slavery and states' rights. More specifically, it was the economics of slavery, the desire to expand slavery, and the political control behind it all. For example, the South wanted to get rid of laws that they didn't agree with, especially laws concerning their slaves. The South also wanted to expand slave states into the new western territories, but the North wanted them to be free states. Since everything was going wrong for what the South wanted, they felt seceding and starting a war was the only way to make things right for themselves. This theme is reoccurring throughout all of the many causes of the Civil War.

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Q: Which do you think was the most important or major cause of the Civil War and why?

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Q: Which do you think was the most important or major cause of the Civil War and why?

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I think the most important and major cause of the Civil War was definitely the Election of 1860. There were many other events that happened which fueled the turmoil between the North and the South, but I think Lincoln's election and his ideas for the future of the United States were the final straw for the Southerners.  They knew that Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery and discourage the expansion of slave states, so they were waiting for the right time to secede, create their own nation, government, and army, and eventually attack the Union. I think the Civil War was still inevitable, since Stephen Douglas (the Democratic candidate) was also against the spread of slavery. In conclusion, the Election of 1860 and Lincoln's win was the major stepping stone to the start of the Civil War.

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"We talked the matter over and could have settled the war in thirty minutes had it been left to us." 

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"We talked the matter over and could have settled the war in thirty minutes had it been left to us." 

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-Unknown Confederate Soldier referencing a meeting he had with a Union soldier between the lines.

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The North and the South of the United States have always been different throughout history for many reasons, and this contributed to the start of the Civil War. The South has a mostly hot and sunny climate, while the North has a colder and sometimes snowy climate. The North also has hilly and rocky terrains, which are terrible for farming. This made the North an urban place of big cities, populations, and industrialization. The South, with its rural areas and abundant rich soil, makes it easy to plant and sell in large amounts. The Southerners needed labor work to keep their large plantations running, so they believed that slaves were necessary. Since slaves made up about 1/3 of the South's population, they thought it would be a huge issue for them if slavery was abolished. These differences helped contribute to the North and South not working together, understanding each other, and being united. Ultimately, this lead to the start of the Civil War.

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“Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”

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“Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.”

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-Abraham Lincoln

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There was a lot of turmoil in the United States leading up to the 1860 Presidential Election. The main and important issues of the election were slavery and states' rights, two very controversial topics between the North and the South at the time. The Republicans, who were against slavery, chose Abraham Lincoln as their candidate. The Democrats, who were for slavery and its expansion, chose Stephen A. Douglas as their candidate. In the end, Lincoln won the 1860 Presidential Election in an electoral college landslide with 180 electoral votes. This caused 11 Southern states to secede from the Union, primarily from their fear of Lincoln abolishing the institution of slavery. About a month after Lincoln was inaugurated, the newly founded Confederate fired on the Union's Fort Sumter in South Carolina, starting the Civil War.