What is the Civil War? In 1860 Abraham Lincoln ran for president of the United States. During this time there was slavery in our country. Lincoln did not think slavery was fair, and he didn't want it to continue to spread in the U.S. Many people who lived in the North wanted Lincoln to be their president, but most of the southern states did not. The south did not want slavery to end and they feared it would be abolished if he were elected. The southern states believed each state should be able decide whether or not slavery was allowed.
More people lived in the north than the south and voted for Lincoln. He soon became president. People living in the southern states were not happy. They believed that the north had taken over the national government and Lincoln would favor the northern states. Southerners also feared that Lincoln may end all slavery in the United states. After Lincoln became president, South Carolina decided to leave the United states. Then several other southern states voted to secede or leave the Union as well. Together these states created a new country and called it the Confederate States of America. A new country also needed a new president. The Confederate States elected Jefferson Davis to be their leader. Abraham Lincoln did not want the states to separate and felt that he needed to keep the country together. Lincoln did not believe the south was allowed to form their own country. The Southern leaders believed that they were allowed to. The two countries were in a disagreement and were unable to settle their differences. Their disagreement turned into terrible, long war known as the Civil War. |