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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a novel that was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that essentially explains the tortures that slaves have to endure and the brutality that is normalized within slavery. This novel made people, especially in the North, sympathize with slaves and fight more for anti-slavery. It also made Southerners fight more against the North. This eventually led to the Civil War because of high tensions. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two territories, and made popular sovereignty possible. This action created more division between the North and the South because now slavery had an opportunity to spread, which was bad for the North and good for the South. This intesifide the talk about slavery which contributed to the Civil War. -
Brooks-Summer Incident
Senator Charles Summer gave a speech that criticized slaveholder. One slaved holder in particular was Preston Brook's Uncle. Brooks did not take th speech lightly and snuck into Summer's office and hit him on the head with his cane. Summer suffered brain damage for the rest of his life. This showed the North and the South how truly different they are and heightened the tensions on slavery. -
Election of 1856
The election of 1856 was a presidential election held between Democrat James Buchanan and Republican John Fremont. Millard Fillmore also ran but on a Know-Nothing ticket. This election was won by James Buchanan. This decision split the North and South by giving the North more a voice which the South did not like. -
LeCompton Constitution
The LeCompton Constitution was drafted by the state of Kansas. Along with this Constitution, three others were created. This Constitution's main argument was to defend slavery and tried to protect it. This Constitution also created another version of the Bill of Rights that excluded African Americans. Kansas voters did not agree with this. -
Dredd Scott
Dredd Scott was an American abolitionist who was also enslaved. Dredd Scott was famous or known for the Scott v. Sanford case where Scott landed in slave free territory and claimed he was now a free slave. The Supreme court denied this. It had a big impact on the North and South division by making the North want to fight more for the enslaved and the South defending slavery. -
House Divided Speech
The House Divided speech was given by Abraham Lincoln. The main point of this argument was to give the argument that slavery was the main problem of the nation and was the cause for tearing them apart. This speech inspired the people of the North and helped more people help the enslaved. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were seven debates that went on between Abraham Lincoln, who represented the Republican party, and Stephen Douglas, who represented the Democrat party. Lincoln wanted to contain slavery and did not want it to spread further into the United States. Douglas argued for popular sovereignty and thought the people should have the right to choose if they wanted slavery. This created more of a divide because of public opinion, while also contributing to the Civil War. -
Harper's Ferry
In the early morning of October 17th, 1859, John Brown and a couple of other men went to the town, of Herper's Ferry, Virginia, and captured well-known citizens and stole federal weapons. This raid was a failure. Two of Brow's sons were killed including 10 of his men and it led to the Execution of John Brown less than two months later. This event raised tension between the North and the South and helped the nation lead to the CIvil War -
John Brown
John Brown was an abolitionist against slavery. He helped with the Underground Railroad and founded the League of Gileadites, which was an organization of whites, runaway slaves, and free blacks that helped protect fugitive slaves from being caught. Brown led a raid in the town of Harper's Ferry, Virginia. This led to Brown's execution since his views were different than the South's, outraged the North, and contributed to high tension which led to the Civil War. -
Republican Party
The Republican Party caused more division during the presidential campaign. This party was getting popularity more during 1854 and was created after the Kansas-Nebraska Act. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was an election between Abraham Lincoln, who represented the Republican party and Hannibal Hamlin, who represented the democratic party. This election was going to decide who was going to be president. Lincoln won this presidential election which caused to split the nation because the South thought they no longer had a voice and was worried slavery would be soon abolished and the North was happy. -
Secession
In late 1860, South Carolina declared secession. The main reason they did this was to preserve their rights regarding slavery. This truly created a physical divide between Southern and Northern states and separated them. This succession is the main reason for the Civil War because the goal was to perfect the union not succession. -
Bloody Kansas
Bloody Kansas, also known as bleeding Kansas, were battles fought in Kansas over the existence of slavery. Pro-slavery and antislavery people fought in these battle and it lasted for over seven years. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address was a document for the American people. It touched bases with what the nation needed to work on the most and their main problems. His main goal of this address was to explain why the nation needed to come together as a union and try to steer clear of a Civil War.