What do you consider to be the core causes of the Civil War (both short term—within 10 years of the start of the war and long term—anything more than 10 years before the start of the war)? At what point do you believe the war became inevitable? Choose one of the three positions covered in your textbook, The Causes of the Civil War, by Joel Sipress, and explain why you believe it best explains why the Civil War began. Be sure to provide specific examples and explanations.

General Information

1.  Your Essay should be between 600-950 words. Try to stick to that word count. If you’re a little over or under that is fine

2. You don’t need footnotes for this assignment, you should include informal references within your essay (Sipress, 17, or “Mini-Lecture #3 “Politics in the 1850s,” for example). If you use a source that is not from this class you need to include a complete footnote.

3. This essay will use SafeAssign

4. The positions on the cause of the Civil War can be found in Sipress.

Position #1 “Two Cultures, Separate and Hostile,” (17-20)

Position #2 “Slavery and its role in the American Civil War,” (21-25)

Position #3 “Party Breakdown and the Coming of the Civil War (26-29)