Despite later claims from Confederate apologists emphasizing self-defense or states’ rights, the American Civil War began because the Southern states were determined to protect the institution of slavery. The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 served as the catalyst, igniting secessionist movements across the South. Southern leaders, distrustful of the Republican Party’s stance on slavery, despite Lincoln’s assurances that he would not abolish it in the South, feared federal intervention against their slave-based society. This fear, rather than any direct attack from the North, drove the South to initiate hostilities.
The primary motivation for the Confederacy was the preservation and expansion of slavery. While not every Confederate soldier owned slaves, they fought for a society and economic structure deeply rooted in enslaved labor. The Southern states viewed any threat to slavery as an existential threat to their way of life. Secession and subsequent war were their chosen methods to safeguard this system. In contrast, while anti-slavery sentiment existed in the North, few advocated secession in response to pro-slavery political victories. The South’s reaction to Lincoln’s election was a proactive choice to dissolve the Union rather than accept a future where slavery’s expansion was limited.
As James A. Garfield, later a Union General and US President, observed shortly after the war’s onset, the conflict fundamentally revolved around “Slavery and Freedom.” He believed the war’s outcome would ultimately benefit humanity, stating his preference for “complete subjugation” over allowing the government to be overthrown. This perspective highlights the moral dimension of the conflict, contrasting sharply with any notion of the war being solely about states’ rights or tariffs.
Some historians, like Goldfield, point to the slow progress of racial equality after the Civil War to question its necessity. However, this perspective overlooks the immediate and fundamental issue at stake in 1861: the freedom of enslaved people. To argue that the post-war struggles negate the war’s justification is to suggest that enslaved people would have been better off remaining in bondage. The war, while not immediately ushering in full equality, was a necessary step to dismantle slavery, the cornerstone of the Confederacy, and the central reason why the South initiated the conflict.
