Could have the American Civil War been avoided Essay

Could have the American Civil War been avoided - Essay Example Slavery was something thought to be short lived, as the North and West grew exponentially with its specialized industries and the South continued to supply the cash crops of cotton, sugar, tobacco, etc. handled and processed by slaves the Northerners could not afford, and did not believe in keeping. As time wore on and the cotton gin was invented, slavery became even more deeply a part of Southern culture; it was protected under the Constitution (because slaves were personal property), and was impossible to amend. But slavery itself was a red herring. The main complaint of the South was that the North was gaining more power in the federal government and the South no longer had a voice. The North abolished slavery on moral grounds (apparently), but Andrew Jackson, when a Mississippi senator, stated blatantly that â€Å"It is not humanity that influences you†¦ it is that you may have a majority in the Congress of the United States and convert the Government into an engine of Nort hern aggrandizement†¦ you want by an unjust system of legislation to promote the industry of the United States at the expense of the people of the South.† (Epperson, Jim, 1996). Considering the complexities around the issue of slavery (mostly economic) and the desperation of the South to hold onto their slaves along with the general concern from the North of what to do with all the slaves if they were to be freed, it doesn’t seem possible that any mind sets could be changed to prevent the war even if the issue of slavery didn’t exist.