What led to the inability to compromise leading up to the American civil war?

many would like to think that it was the desire of the north to emancipate slaves (not all were black by the way) but it was actually the need for labor in the north to manufacture the machines of the industral age locomotives, steamships, mass produced furniture etc.. the political cry was freedom but the agenda was greed. while the south was important there began to be a glut in the textile industry that ,at that time was causing a financial strain on slave owners which, of course, led to a lowered quality of life for slaves. the industrial north capitalized on this and emancipated slaves--an ideal realized from the first draft of the constitution--to acquire laborers to work the factories of the north. the agricultural south did not however want to lose its free labor. and as the economy ot the south worsened the southern states chose to withdraw from citizenry.

The South's way of life was dying. The land suitable for cotton production was becoming harder to fins as the nation went west. Machines were replacing humans and the South was going to have to industrialize. Worse, it was clear that the South's position in government was becoming weaker. Population and the House of Representative had long been controlled by the North. Soon the new states of the West could upset the balance between free and slave states.

The issue of slavery can be compared to the abortion debate today. Nobody is really neutral and no compromise has been found acceptable to both sides.

Lincoln's election served as the excuse for succession.At that time he didn't support emancipation and clearly wanted the United States to remain united.Both sides didn't expect either a long war or a particularly bloody one. When Sherman correctly forecast such a war, he was labeled as insane.

The Crittenden Compromise and the proposed amendment to make slavery legal didn't work.It's unlikely that the hotheads on either side would have settled for less then a war.

No slavery vs slavery.... there is only so much you can compromise on. They made many compromises, but in the end, you had to either support slavery or be against it.

go to wikapedia and type that in it would give you info