Irrepressible.

The Civil War was irrepressible due to political division and the unwillingness of the north and south to further compromise with one another in regard to slavery and the balance of power. The splitting of the Democratic party during the election of 1860 created a habit of secession, as the south no longer greatly supported Douglas. Thus, the republican party was able to dominate, and Lincoln (primarily supported in the north) was elected. For years Tensions between the north and south had been growing, and by Lincoln's election, views on slavery were polarized: either it was abolished or allowed to spread. Southerners had begun to view the North as a threat and "lord", in a sense, as King George the Third had been. They believed that secession was the only way to get the north off its back, just as the colonies had done with their British King. Every compromise that had been concocted ended up a failure. For example, the Compromise of 1850. The north was unwilling to do the immoral bidding of the south, and since the Fugitive Slave Law was the Souths only real gain from the compromise, relations were further embittered. Also, the Nebraska-Kansas act destroyed the Missouri compromise and slavery would now be allowed within ALL territories, which of course, the North wouldn't put up with for long. Many presidents, including Buchanan and Lincoln, by not taking a strong stand on the issue, "sat on the pot of slavery and let it boil. Their had been no "safe" way to take a stand without upsetting one half of the economy (agricultural south or industrial north) or ruining it all together. The Bottom line was that the North was continuing to grow in wealth, land, and population, was nagging on southern mannerism, and beginning to dominate politically. Fearing their own rights and riches, and having their own distinct moral values, the south would eventually let go of the union that took so long to create.