The American Civil War was the bloodiest and most violent war in American history. Not only did it pit brother against brother and father against son, but it also caused more deaths than all of America's wars before or since combined. The cause of the Civil War was not a single event; instead, it was a combination of several. In general, the South felt dominated by the North socially, economically and culturally. The lifestyles of the two sides were completely different in every way. At the heart of all these issues is a major cause of dissension, known as slavery. Frankly, the combination of events that led to the Civil War pushed people over the edge, had varying degrees of influence, and tended to hide slavery as the reason behind them. The Compromise of 1850 was one of the first incidents that helped pit the South against the North. Thanks to the United States' victory in the Mexican War, they acquired a vast territory. At the time, California was applying for statehood. This posed a serious problem for the government as to how to maintain the balance between the slave and free states. Fugitive slave laws, which had vexed the government for some time, also came into effect. Some believed that accepting California as a free state would not upset the South. While others believed that the South might be inclined to withdraw from the Union, making one of the government's greatest fears of the day a reality. The compromise suggested that the populations of states entering the Union should be allowed to vote on whether to be a free or slave state. This proposal became known as “Popular Sovereignty.” The supposed solution to the problems presented was designed by Hen......in the middle of the newspaper......oln won the election, as they had previously promised. In some sense, the American Civil War was inevitable. Due to regional and political conflicts, the country would have continued to boil to overflowing, even if extremists on both sides had remained under control. No matter what was done politically, conflict was necessary to eradicate slavery from this continent. Anger in the South became a growing trend, while abolitionism in the North became increasingly popular. Southerners were angered by what they believed the North was trying to dissolve their way of life. While slavery is the primary cause of feelings of violence and hatred between the North and South, there are also other reasons related to economics, state rights, and culture. However, slavery seems to be at the heart of all these issues.