• The Civil War had causes other than slavery.civil war image by Wd Photo from Fotolia.com
  
  When the topic of the Civil War comes up, the conversation usually turns to slavery and how the war was a key factor in abolishing this inhumane practice in the United States. However, there were many in the South who did not support slavery, and many who fought in the war for reasons other than slavery.
  
  

States' Rights

• The American colonies banded together to fight for independence from Britain. For many states, independence meant they could govern themselves. As the Revolutionary War faded into history, the states sought a way to balance a federal government with state governments. The U.S. Constitution was crafted with state representatives, all of whom had their own ideas of what the federal government should be, contending for a constitution reflecting the views of their state. The U.S. Constitution, therefore, was a compromise of these views.
  
  The Southern states, especially, preferred a weak federal government with strong and independent state governments. Many Northern states inclined toward a stronger federal government. As years went by, this conflict grew sharper until the Southern states decided they had the right, even the obligation, to protest by leaving the Union. These states felt the federal government was becoming too strong and assuming too many rights.
  
  

Sectionalism

• States in the North and states in the South shared a history of rebellion against oppression. At times, they shared little else. The Northern states became more and more industrialized. Factories grew as did financial and banking institutions. Things in the North were faster-paced and forward looking. The North also fomented an anti-slavery sentiment. The Southern states tended to an agrarian economy. The pace was slower, gracious, and status conscious. While slavery might have died out on its own, the invention of the cotton gin made inexpensive laborers a must and slavery became a Southern institution. With the passing of time, the differences in the sections of America grew more pronounced. Northerners and Southerners had less and less in common with one another. The less they had in common, the more they viewed one another with suspicion. The Civil War grew out of this sectionalism.
  
  

Tariffs and Taxes

• Many Southern states traded with other countries in slaves and rum, farm and other products. They also imported any number of items. Shipping was a vital part of their economic well-being. Goods and services moved in and out of ports. Some of these ports used were in the Northern states. The federal government, driven by those in the Northern states, sought to pass taxes and tariffs on these goods and services. This seriously hurt the economy of the Southern states. The delegations from Southern states were not about to let members from Northern states railroad through congress taxes and tariffs they felt were oppressive. They also felt their way of life and their states were being particularly targeted since tariffs and taxes were not equally applied to goods and services in Northern states. Imposed tariffs and taxes were factors leading to the Civil War.