the_american_ivil_war大论文the_american_civil_war大论文the_american_civil_war大论文the_american_civil_war大论文.doc

The American Civil War (1861–1865), also known as the War Between the States and several other names, was a civil war in the United States of America. Eleven Southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America (the Confederacy). Led by Jefferson Davis, they fought against the United States (the Union), which was supported by all the free states and the five border slave states. Union states were loosely referred to as the North. The Civil War was far too large to blame on a few simple factors. Leading to the causes of the war were a number of factors, one of the largest being slavery. Yet slavery cannot be blamed for it either. States Rights were the direct cause of the war, the secession of states, and the direct start of gunfire at Fort Sumter. At the beginning of 1860, over four million men, women, and children, one out of every seven people in the United States were slaves. The slaves of the southern plantations were frequently abused and overworked for the benefit of the plantation owner. Slaves remained in demand due to the increased productivity introduced by the cotton gin. Due to this increased demand, the number of slaves dramatically increased. Although the number of slaves in the south greatly outnumbered that of slave owners, the imbalance was maintained by harsh working conditions, and poverty stricken living environments. Slaves were frequently beaten, and neglected, often infected and died of dysentery, worms, and other diseases spurred by unsanitary living conditions. In certain circumstances, slaves were treated with occasional dignity by their owners, but for the most part they were neglected and treated with severe harshness. The south feared that the north would abolish slavery, and the north was afraid it would spread westward into the newly established states. Soon, anti-slavery leaders were becoming active and loud. John Brown, with his militaristic abolitionist views started a