America. This outraged the North. James Buchanan believed the Constitution did not allow the North to take any action against the South. An effort was made on February 4th by the Virginia Legislature in order to prevent the oncoming war. They called a conference of the states at Washington and representatives were sent from 7 slave and 14 free states. An amendment was passed saying Congress could never interfere with slavery in the states. This legislation was not ratified by the necessary number of states and was forgotten when the Civil War began. The existence of slavery was the central element of the conflict between the North and South. Other problems existed that led to secession but none were as important as the slavery issue. The only way to avoid the war was to abolish slavery, but this could not be done because slavery was essentially the fuel in the Southern machine. Abraham Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free." Because slavery formed two opposing societies, and slavery could not be abolished, the Civil War was virtually inevitable. The slavery issue accompanied by the severely differentiated societies in the United States had resulted in the Civil War. In the Southern point of view, slavery and other differences were valid, and necessary for the growth of the region. The north had viewed these as potential obstacles to overcome. Because of limited time, and growing tension, the result was war.In conclusion, by examining the political, economical, and social views, we can determine that the Northern and Southern perspectives regarding the causes of the Civil War were radically different. Competing nationalisms, political turmoil, the definition of freedom, the preservation of the Union, the fate of slavery and the structure of society and economy could all be listed as significant contributing factors in America's bloodiest ...
