The American Civil War of 1861-1865 is one of the most decisive chapters in U.S. history. The war divided the nation between North and South and resulted in the death of nearly 2 percent of the nation’s population. However, the true cause of the war has long been a source of debate and contention and has been the subject of much disagreement among historians.
Historian Nikki Haley recently weighed in on this debate by declaring that the Civil War was not fought over slavery. In a statement to the South Carolina delegation to the Republican National Convention, Haley represented that the war was about states’ rights. This stance is counter to the majority of historians and is in direct contradiction to the South’s own declaration of secession, which explicitly stated that the war was being fought to preserve the institution of slavery.
Haley’s statement has generated heated debate, with many historians arguing that her declaration overlooks the harsh reality of the time. The Civil War was fought over the issue of slavery and nothing else. The South’s own declaration of secession is unequivocal on this point. It cites the protection of slavery as the chief reason for the South’s secession and makes it clear that the war was meant to preserve the institution.
The issue ultimately comes down to one of interpretation. For some, the war was fought over states’ rights and not slavery, though this interpretation ignores the South’s own declaration of secession. While it is true that states’ rights were a factor in the war, the war was principally about the preservation of slavery. This is evidenced not only in the South’s declaration, but also in the Union’s war aims and the eventual passage of the Thirteenth Amendment.
Ultimately, Nikki Haley’s statement fails to recognize the importance of slavery to the cause of the Civil War. The majority of historians agree that the war was fought over slavery and this assertion is backed up by the Confederacy’s own declaration of secession. While it is certainly possible to view the Civil War through a different lens, the truth of the matter is that slavery was indeed the primary cause of the war.
