Long-Term Causes Of The War And The Triggering Event
Political Causes
While the North and the South had many differences, the Compromise of 1850 right away set their Political differences apart. Ever since California was admitted to the Union as a free-state in 1850 with a more effective slave law, and popular sovereignty, the South was not happy at all. Of course the North wasn't entirely happy with this compromise either. Each side wanted California to be one way or another (the North: a free-state, the South: a slave-state) not in the middle settled with a compromise between the two.
Economic Causes
The economic system in the North was mainly industrial; ship building, fishing, and lumber while in the South their economic system was agriculturally based; farming tobacco, wheat, corn, and cattle. In the North, they were less dependent on slavery than the South, most of their economy was dependent on slave labor. As differences between the North and the South grew, the North became more and more against slave labor in the South.
Social Causes
While the people in the South believed that each state should be independent and control itself, the North had a very different opinion on that matter. They believed that all the states should form one unified Nation under one central government. The citizens of the North and South were also granted different rights. In the North, citizens had more rights than the citizens who were living in the southern states.
The Triggering Event
While there is no one specific event linked to the cause of The American Civil War, there are a few that should be taken into account. The first one, The Compromise of 1850. By having California be admitted to the Union as a free-state not a slave-state, the North and South really intensified their dislike for each other. Many also believe that the Battle at Fort Sumter started the Civil War. It was the first major battle between the Union and the Confederates, one in which the Confederates won causing more controversy between the North and South.