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The First Africans In America
In 1619 a Dutch ship sailed into the port of Jamestown, Virginia. Marking the arrival of the first Africans in America. Although the newcomers themselves did not become slaves, the historic arrival allowed passage into what would become a horrendous trend in America. In which the people of Africa were voraciously taken away from their homeland and forced into slavery. Slavery would become a major cause of the Civil War. -
Eli Whitney's Cotton Gin
In 1794, Eli Whitney launched its newest invention, the cotton gin. The rapid increase in the demand of cotton growth meant bigger farms and the need of more slaves. The slave population incredibly increased, allowing Southern wealth to become even more prominent in society. The wealth was a reflection on cotton and the labor of thousands of slaves. Evidently the growth of slavery infuriated the North leading to a fight best known as the Civil War. -
The Louisiana Purchase
President Jefferson made the country's greatest purchase of all time in 1803. He obtained the whole Louisiana Territory adding millions of acres to the United States. The land of course would later be disputed over whether a state should be admitted in the the union as free or slave state. That fight over the territory would then lead into the inevitable Civil War. -
The Missouri Compromise
After Missouri applied for admission into the nation as a slave state, a debate rose.In 1820 Congress finally came to an agreement in which Maine would be admitted as a free state and Missouri as a slave state to maintain the congressional balance. A line was also drawn at 30-36 degrees in which the South would allow slaves and the North would be free.The compromise would foresee the growth of slavery which later led to the Civil War. -
The Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 did little to address the dispute between the North and South, and in some cases reinforced the things that divided the United States. By forcing non-slaveholders to abide by the same rules caused a greater controversy in the idea of whether or not slavery should actually be constitutional. The newly reinforced problem led to the commencement of the Civil War. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's fictional book on the realities of the life of a slave is best known for the controversy it caused in the country. Southerners believed it wrongly depicted their relationship with their slaves, while Northerners felt they finally had an insight into what really occurs inside the famous plantations.The book's popularity brought home the issue of slavery to those unaware of the conflict and broadened the segregation between North and South, causing the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
On May 30 1854 Stephen A. Douglas narrowly passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. It overturned parts of the Missouri Compromise by allowing the residents of the two states to determine by popular vote whether or not to permit slavery. The new act created riots which then led to the break out of the Civil War. -
Attack on Senator Charles Sumner
On May 21 1856 anti-slavery Senator from Massachusetts, Charles Sumner was brutally attacked with a cane by Preston Brooks on the floor of the senate. Northerners were outraged with the inhumanly behavior of Brooks, making Sumner a hero in their eyes.On the other hand Southerners backed Preston's actions and praised him for having the courage to stand up against an abolitionist. The enraged citizens provoked the start of the Civil War. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave from Virginia, who took his case of becoming a free man into court. The case's popularity allowed it to be presented at the Supreme Court, where it was determined that Dred Scott was a piece of property with no legal rights and wasn't even recognized as a human being.Southerners once again proved the idea that a slave will always be property of their masters.The agreed limitations on slavery intensified, leading to the Civil War. -
Harpers Ferry Attack
John Brown led a raid on Harpers Ferry on October 16 1859 killing 5 slavery supporters. Which helped Southerners see that war was unavoidable. Therefore the feeling of a threat among the South sparked the Civil War.
