Since its colonization, America seemed to be a staunch supporter of slavery. By the early 19th century, it became apparent that Southern states, economically dependent on agricultural and “King Cotton” activities, continued to labor enslaved Africans while Northern states turned the other cheek. As time passed, the Northern and Southern citizens of a once unified country came into conflict in many different ways. The three main causes (violation of civil liberties, violation of states' rights, and the economic and moral issues of slavery) made it impossible to resolve the conflict between the South and the North, resulting in the inevitable civil war. War was inevitable because Southern citizens felt they had lost their voice in the national government. During this time period, the North's birth rate and its economy increased at impressive rates far beyond those of the South. It soon became apparent to some people in the South that they were losing their influence in government. This problem only worsened as the Democratic Party split into different sections. While some Democrats such as Stephen Douglas supported the idea of ​​popular sovereignty (that each state should have a public vote on whether or not to abolish slavery in their respective area), others believed that slavery should exist along the Mason Dixon line decided by the Compromise . of 1820. When Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election for the newly formed Republican Party, many Southerners were fully convinced that they had lost their power in the national government and might even secede from the Union. Not surprisingly, this is exactly what they did. Another reason why The Civil W... middle of paper... Northerners could not respect their will to decide how to deal with slavery and fugitive slaves in their own country. states, they may not even be part of the United States. This led to secession and, once again, civil war. When two different sections of the same country have different moral beliefs, different say in the national government, and different views on federal laws and civil liberties, there is no definitive agreement that can resolve it. All. Feeble attempts were made in the compromises of 1820 and 1850, but ultimately the South decided that all its legal and political options had been exhausted. The war was necessary so that the victor could take control and make executive decisions until the country was reunified. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Works Cited The American Competition