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U.S. Declares War on Mexico
The northerners were upset with the War of Mexico because they accused it of just southerners seeking more land to spread slavery into. This led to the Civil War. -
Wilmot's Proviso (1846-1850)
The Wilmot Proviso was a piece of legislation proposed by David Wilmot at the close of the Mexican-American War. If passed, the Proviso would have outlawed slavery in any land gained from Mexico. The Proviso was passed by the House, but no the Senate. The intensity of the debate surrounding the Proviso prompted the first serious discussions of secession. This led to the Civil War. -
The Mexican-American War Ends
With the end of the Mexican War, America gained many lands.This posed a problem: as these new territories would be admitted as states, would they be free or slave? Huge debates would later ensue between the South and the North. This led to the Civil War. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850. It required citizens to assist in the recovery of runaway slaves, and caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery. This led to the Civil War -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Released
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" angered many northerners, because it showed them the cruelty of slavery and inspired more efforts of abolitionists. This led to the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska act allowed both states to choose whether they were free or slave states due to popular sovereignity from the settlers. This act tore apart Kansas as it proposed huge debates between the North and the South, because many believed slavery could not be spread at all. This led to the Civil War. -
Charles Summner Is Attacked
Pro-slavery Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Charles Sumner with a cane after Sumner gave a speech attacking the pro-slavery forces for the violence occurring in Kansas. Preston Brooks was deemed a hero in the South, and a savage in the North. This showed exactly how high tensions had grown between the South and the North on the subject of slavery. Especially because Congressmen were supposed to act like professionals. This led to the Civil War. -
Dredd Scott vs. Sandford
The U.S Supreme Court rules that Dredd Scott was not a citizen, he was property, therfore he ould not sue, and slavery was protected by the Constitution. This decision overruled the Missouri Compromise and made northern abolishionists realize that the South's wishes of spreading slavery were being granted. This led to the Civil War. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
Jonh Brown led seventeen men on a raid at Harper's Ferry, Virginia in hope to cause a slave rebellion against southern slave owners. After being informed about this attack, the Southerners feared being part of the Union and contemplated secession. This led to the Civil War. -
Abraham Lincoln's Election
South Carolina and six other states felt that they had to leave the Union or confront the destruction of their institutions after Abraham Lincoln, an anti-slavery Republican, won the election of 1860. This led to the Civil War.
