High school graduation speech - Essay Example

Civil War Territorial expansions and the prevalence of slavery and tariffs are the trends that dominated the period between 1812 and 1860.However, the preceding period, 1861-1865, represented one of the darkest periods in the American history; the Civil War. In a conflict between the Confederate States of America and the Union, the blame was put on the territorial expansion, slavery, and tariffs (Woodman, 2009).The chain of events that had been set before the Civil war clearly illustrates the inevitability of the civil war.

The rift between the North and South immensely grew from the simple economic difference of the 1790s. The failure of the reconciliation attempts through compromises of 1820 and 1850 only emphasized the vulnerability of the situation. With the battle for economic supremacy between the north and the south not reaching any resolve, the war had to eventually break in 1860. The country had managed to achieve reconciliation in the Missouri statehood crisis, the Philadelphia Convention, and the tariff cries of 1828, 1832 and 1850.

However, the failure to reach a compromise is 1860 was based on the difference of with the other situations. For instance, the concerns of the entire nation on the Revolutionary War, Congress funding and the nation’s bankruptcy caused the whole nation to compromise and pull together. However, the events leading to the Civil War were not going to lead to any meaningful compromise among the parties. According to Woodman (2009), compromise was unattainable in 1860 because the possible measures would mean the Union losing more in the compromise than the Confederate State of America and vice versa.

For instance, the South felt that the abolishment of slavery would negatively impact on their booming cotton business. This move would significantly reduce their economic superiority.The North had received an influx of immigrants from Europe who could offer labor at reduced wages thus no need for slaves. The moral conflict between these regions was interpreted by the South as an attempt by the North to affect is plantation production. The reason why a compromise was reached in the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 was the common cry for liberty across the nation.

The Missouri statehood crisis was resolved by ensuring that each party got what they wanted.The ‘one slave, one free’ rule ensured that a balance was maintained and the South and North were equally satisfied. However, the lack of commonalities between the North and South meant that none was willing to reach a compromise.Despite the seemingly success of the compromise, thirty years of relative peace was disrupted and it became dysfunctional.This was a lesson to the North and the South of the weakness of such compromises.

The subsequent events of the end of the compromise convinced the North and South that it was not the best solution to their problems. While slavery and territorial expansion remain to be the most significant causes of the civil war, the tariffs played a substantial role in shaping the civil war. Commonly referred to as the ‘Lost Cause’, the tariffs were said to benefit the North and not the South (Woodman, 2009). This situation was not redeemable using a compromise as because the beneficiaries were likely to be the very states that held the pro-tariff banners.

ReferencesWoodman, H. D. (2009). In the Wake of Slavery: Civil War, Civil Rights, and the Reconstruction of Southern Law (review).Civil War History, 55(3), 429-430.