The Causes of War

Terrance witnesses the Battle of Fort Sumter

Martina and Terrance found that no single cause existed to start the Civil War. The Abolitionist Movement pitted Northerners against the Southern defenders of slavery. At the same time, sectional tensions and failure of political stablility caused the existing Union to dissolve. After the Southern states seceded from the Union, South Carolina demanded that the Union troops leave. The troops moved to Fort Sumter and refused to evacuate South Carolina. On April 12, 1861, the Confederacy bombarded Fort Sumter and the American Civil War began.