An important reason was slavery. Even though a small percentage of Southerners owned slaves, they were all willing to fight to the death to keep them. For them it was a lifestyle they were not willing to give up. This ongoing struggle has led many in the north to resort to abolition, which is the reason for the later lawsuit; John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. John Brown was a northern white man disgusted by the thought of slavery. In 1859 he attempted to start a slave revolt. In the process he killed many plantation owners and some of his men were killed. He was later hanged for his crimes, but the North saw him as a hero. Then they realized that they would have to make great strides for the cause of abolition. The last social cause was the book Uncle Tom's Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. When the North read this book, the reality of slavery hit them hard. All previous doubters soon chose abolition, and the South could argue no longer. His book “showed the effects of slavery and helped readers empathize with the characters…the future of an enslaved people and general racism were discussed freely.”