Contrary to what H.V. Traywick claimed in his recent letter to the Richmond Free Press, the cause of the Civil War was slavery.

The Framers had to make compromises with Southern states on the issue of slavery to get a Constitution. There was the 3/5th clause that gave Southern states favored representation.

There was the Electoral College that gave them an advantage in presidential elections.

And there was the fugitive slave clause that enabled them to get escaped slaves back from other states.

After the Constitution was ratified and the union formed, there was an attempt by Congress to strike a balance between the number of slave and free states admitted to the union so that slavery was not threatened in the Southern states. This led to one controversial compromise after another.

Unfortunately, due to the efforts of Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas, the compromises intensified the issue of slavery. The enactment of the Fugitive Slave Act through the efforts of Henry Clay inflamed Northerners in free states, because they were expected to assist in the return of escaped slaves, who were not entitled to any due process.

And Douglas’ concept of state sovereignty led to the Kansas-Nebraska conflict over slavery before the outbreak of war.

What led to secession by Southern states was the election of President Abraham Lincoln, whose party wanted to stop the spread of slavery into the territories. The Southern states seceded over slavery and fired the first shots in the Civil War.

President Lincoln understood that as the war was ending that an amendment was needed to abolish slavery. Slavery was the cause of the war and secession was the effect.

George Magakis Jr.

Norristown, Pa.