Why the Civil War?

I think that I get asked this question more than any other. I have to admit that there are times when I grow thoroughly sick of it. The obvious answer, of course, is why not the Civil War?

However, that oversimplifies things too much and is probably a bit too flippant to be an appropriate response. So, I will attempt to answer the question here.

No other period in American history impacted this country more than did the period 1861-1865. 600,000 Americans died in an internecine struggle that was probably inevitable. With the tension between Federalism and states rights that marked the great compromises of the Constitutional Convention, it became obvious that one side or the other had to win out. Either there would be a strong central government, or there would be a loose confederation of states wherein the Federal government provided for the national defense and not much else. Mix in economic disparities and the tensions of the debate over slavery, and you have a real witch’s brew. I think that the war was inevitable. The question was not if, but when.

The outcome made this country what it is today. We are now a single country–people are Americans first, not Virginians or Pennsylvanians. That is what made this a great country and propelled it into becoming a world superpower.

So, with that in mind, why not the Civil War?