what was the true cause of the american civil war?

The North wanted to start taxing the south and wanted to conform with them. But the south just wanted to be left alone, and be their own terroritory with their own seperate laws. The Slavery excuse was made up to convince people it was for a good cause. Even though the North had slaves as well!

The true cause of the war was the attempt by the federal government to increase its power by establishing a national currency controlled by a central bank which would oversee the gold supply that was backing it up. This meant a huge increase in power for the central government at the expense of what was at the time a loose confederation of states. For a while the southerners were successful in stopping it under Andrew Jackson who destroyed the Bank of the United States. Under the banner of fighting slavery the northerners demanded they restrict their slave trade. The hopelessly outnumbered and resource poorer southerners stupidly allowed themselves to be maneuvered into starting a war they could not win. There were 13 million northerners and 9 million southerners, 4 million of the southerners being African slaves. The southerners won the military contest, inflicting 360 thousand deaths versus the 260 thousand they suffered, but lost the ultimate victory because they could not afford their losses.

Modern day propagana on the Civil War...I didn't know there was such a thing. Anyway.

The Civil War was about states rights and was triggered with the Southern sucession. Your dad is right ending slavery had nothing to do w/ the war.

Now go do your own homework. You are already on the computer but I suggest you actually read a book or two, or three. Use those as your sources!

Although I do agree with you about the north taxing the south was a aspect of why the south seceded from the U.S you are terribly misguided because slavery was the real cause. Although I do agree with you about the north taxing the south was a aspect of why the south seceded from the U.S you are terribly misguided because slavery was the real cause. Furthermore, because the south was so afraid of losing their slaves they wanted there to be states rights on this matter not the federal government. In addition they wanted states rights because they wanted to deal with the slaves because if they lost them it would not be good for the southern economy. Although many southern states wanted this, the northern states did not like this because if there is states law in the southern countries the north does not have any control over them.

Your dad's right and wrong. Slavery was involved in that it was a large part of the Southern economic picture. However, the war wasn't fought to end slavery. Lincoln did that more as a matter of trying to further cripple the South, not a social statement against slavery. There are several books written on this subject. I can't imagine your going to get too many complex answers here.

Next time you're curious about something, just look on wikipedia, it doesn't have bad answers for casual interest. The linked article begins with "The origins of the American Civil War lay in the complex issues of slavery, competing understandings of federalism, party politics, expansionism, sectionalism, tariffs, economics and modernization in the Antebellum Period." And continues from there. Enjoy.

It was far too complex to be answered in this forum. You should do some research on the internet, read a few books, maybe write to a couple of historical societies, both Northern and Southern.

1) Us economy was divided into basic manufacturing states and agricultural states.

2) Us Congress, especially the House of Representatives, was controlled by the industrial states of New England.

3) manufacturing interests wanted high tarriffs on european goods to protect their market in the states. Also wanted the price of cotton and wool low, so they blocked tarriffs on imports.

4) With the cost of agricultural machinery high, and prices for cotton and sugar low, the plantation owners turned to slave labor, encouraged bu the shipping industry in Boston.

5) England banned slavery in 1842, and enforced it with their navy on the open seas.

6) "Free States" refused to return escaped slaves. This was a significant monetary loss for owners, both in terms of the actual purchase price as well as the loss of labor.

7) With no relief possible in the congress or the courts, the cotton interests moved for secession.

8) The sugar interest was opposed because it would lose the price support it had won from congress.

9) secession was popularly sold to the south as a "states rights" issue.

10) Yes slavery, actually the return of runaway slaves was an issue- a property issue.

11) Lincoln freed the slaves, after the war started, and only in the states under Union control. This was a brilliant PR ploy by Lincoln in the face of waning public support for the war.

4)

Well, your Dad said that slavery had little to do with the civil war because your Dad's racist. But, don't worry, lots of white people are racist, especially white men.

But anyway, the civil war was fought over slavery, economics, state's rights, the fact that Mrs. E. Lee served lemonade instead of punch the last time Abe and Mary Todd came for dinner... basically a whole host of reasons. You can focus on the main reasons or the obscure ones....

but, don't say the civil war wasn't about slavery or economics because bottom line...it was!

Just type "causes of the American Civil War" in any search engine. You'll get lots of info.