Causing four years of bloodshed on American soil, the Civil War was considered one of the most controversial wars in American history. The American Civil War lasted from 1861 to 1865 and was fought between the American people, primarily the Northern and Southern states. There is a common misconception that slavery is the key issue that led to the American Civil War. However, there were many other reasons that pushed Americans into the “Great American Tragedy”. Because the North and the South were very different economically, socially, and politically, and with territorial expansion all of this eventually led to the Civil War, or War Between the States. First, there is an economic difference between the North and the South. In the North, society was rapidly becoming industrial and focused more on city life. In contrast, the South remained a region of small towns and large plantations. When Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793, cotton became very profitable (Grischy). People who owned land began to grow cotton, which led to a large amount of cheap labor, so slaves were needed. The South became a monoculture economy that depended primarily on cotton and then slavery. On the other hand, the North relied more on industry than agriculture. It focused on the production and use of raw materials to make finished products. While the people of the North favored import taxes, also known as tariffs that protected factory owners and workers from foreign competition, the people of the South, on the other hand, were against tariffs. In order for Southerners to purchase goods from the North, Northern politicians passed heavy taxes on goods imported from Europe. The economic difference was one of the reasons why div......middle of paper......wash. On the other hand, the Union fought the Civil War because it wanted to end slavery and also because many people believed that the Southern states had no right to succeed. In conclusion, due to the economic, social and political differences between the North and the South and with territorial expansion, all of this contributed to the Civil War. During the early 1860s, America's Civil War was a major conflict between the Union and Confederacy of States. The United States was divided into North and South due to economic differences and different lifestyles. The North industrialized at a very rapid pace and focused more on city life. The South, in contrast, was still an agricultural society that depended primarily on cotton and slavery. There were so many reasons that caused the civil war to break out and it was an inevitable war.