Forces Are (STILL) Mounting for a Civil War

Already familiar with the history, it seems odd for me to talk about the reasons why America was plunged into the Civil War in 1861. That said, as we approach this era in history, I'd like to take some posts to gather some thoughts and analyze how past movements in American history that we've already studied contributed to the outbreak of bloodshed. Throughout the week, I will be focusing on a different aspect for each day. Today, I will talk about religion.
~ Religion ~
The Second Great Awakening was a strong movement in American history, far surpassing its similar antecedent in cultural impact and initiation of social reform. The first Great Awakening was more of an explosion of religious fervor and zealotry, but it stopped there. The Second Great Awakening took it one step further, seeking to implement humanitarian ideals derived from religious practice into basic social norms.

Arguably, the abolitionist movement and the movement for women's suffrage can trace their way back to the Second Great Awakening. It was during this time period in American history that religion made its way past the Deists that dominated the political setting and into the lives of the average person. It was the Second Great Awakening that initiated the movements (although they mostly failed) towards equality for the masses, regardless of gender or race.

How does this relate to the Civil War? Aside from leaking individualism into the popular landscape, the Second Great Awakening drove a wedge between the aristocratic upper class and the unlearned lower class. Religions that were born of the Second Great Awakening, like Methodism, were founded on the ideals of liberty and equality. These religions vehemently opposed the institution of slavery. Deism, which dominated the upper, more well-educated aristocratic class, didn't focus very much on the freedom of the individual, but rather on the potential of the individual. It's safe to say, though, that aristocratic Deists, even if they recognized some form of individualism, were not ardent supporters of any freedom movements.

As a result of the wealth structure of American society leading up to the Civil War, the aristocratic land-holding elite mainly resided in the South, while the poor, common man who toiled in the factories for minimum wage and believed in universal equality generally resided in the Northeast.  The separation here is clear: in the North, people were generally supporters of individualism in respect to freedom, while, in the South, people were generally unconcerned with the success or freedom of the individual.

Tying this back to slavery, we see another distinction. Religion that took hold in the North promoted the dissolution of the institution of slavery. Religion that was dominant in the South promoted the preservation of the institution of slavery. Ultimately, while the Second Great Awakening was the catalyst for many freedom movements, it was one of the final nails in the coffin of the Union as it slid inevitably down the steep path towards war.