10 Events leading to the Civil War

By Roberto Flores

  • The Underground Railroad

    The Underground Railroad was a series of secret routes which had helped slaves escape. This had to be done secretely, but it was never done underground. They got railroad from the language that they used to communicate where they were and what they were gonna do. The people who helped slaves escape throug the underground railroad were already free slaves.

  • The Fugitive Slave Act

    The fugitive slave act was a law passed in 1850 as a part of the Compromise of 1850. What this act does is it ensures that escaped slaves will be sold or returned back into bondage. This act also spurred a lot more talk about the underground railroad because they knew it was the only safe way for them not to return back into bondage. Also, this act made people from the North work with slave catchers to bring escaped slaves back to the south.

  • Compromise of 1850

    The Compromise of 1850 was a compromise made right after California declared itself a free state. This compromise also enacted the fugitive slave act, which would create a lot of tesnion with free slaves. Any territories gained from the Mexican Cession would have a vote to see wether they would be a free state or a slave state. The north also had to team up with slave catchers from the south in order to catch escaped slaves.

  • Uncle Tom's Cabin

    This was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book was written in order to show people what slavery was really like. She had talked with former slaves and fugitive slaves and got their views on how slavery was. This changed many people's views on slavery, and caused quite a bit of tension.

  • Whig Party Splits

    The Whig party split into 2 diffrent parties because of the figitive slave act. The Northern Party was against the fugitive slave act and the Southern party was for slavery. They were fighting for quite a while when the decision was made that they would split into 2. This worked out well for both of them.

  • Abraham Lincoln Gets Elected

    Abraham Lincoln was a man who was against slavery. He didn't like the fact that men and women shouldn't be working as slaves. He didn't win by popular vote, but he still won presidency. Now, he had power to stop slavery, and that all lead to the Civil War.