Moving Toward the Precipice: Michigan in the Years Before the Civil War

The Civil War began in April 1861. The conflict was precipitated by a sudden crisis, but it was caused by a long dispute regarding the nature of the Republic and the values held by its diverse population. Over many years the American people adopted beliefs and made political decisions particularly concerning the status of slavery that could be resolved only by war.

Moving Toward the Precipice: Michigan in the Years Before the Civil War, an exhibit that will be in the Clarke Library from April 12 through September 2, examines the people of antebellum Michigan. Who they were, what their lives were like, how they raised their children, and what they believed, all played a part in the inability of the country's political institutions to avoid a conflict that claimed 620,000 lives.