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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a successful novel, selling up to 10,000 copies its first week, written by Harriet Stowe giving a perspective on a slave's life, which she had begun by describing his death. This novel increased the tensions between Northerns and Southerners, because northerners sided with this perspective, hoping slavery would be abolished in which they had realize they needed to join the abolitionist movement. On the other hand, Southerns felt as if the book misrepresented slavery. -
Republican Party
The Republican Party began by having its first meeting in Ripon, Wisconsin, opposing the expansion of slavery into the Western territories and after the Civil War they even fought to protect African Americans rights. They favored a limited government but even if it wasn't their goal to abolish slavery, they wanted to prevent its expansion. This caused a further division between North and South because Abraham Lincoln was elected as a republican president causing for SC to secede from the union. -
Bloody Kansas
Following the Kansas Nebraska Act, it caused for settlers to have a series of fights over the problem of slavery. Northerners traveled in hopes of populating Kansas, while Southerners traveled over the border from Missouri. Another reason for this cause was because of Jones (a proslavery candidate from the South) which he traveled into Lawrence, destroying property like newspaper offices and the office of the Free States, increasing the division between the North and South, angering the North. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act addressed the expansion of slavery by establishing popular sovereignty, allowing Kansas and Nebraska to be separated by the 40th parallel, and repealing the Missouri Compromise. It also caused for Kansas and Nebraska to be made into two territories, increasing the conflict between North and South and causing the "Bloody Kansas" because they both tried to influence the vote, since Kansas should have been a free state, but Southerners were upset. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
Following the invasion from Jones destroying from Newpapers offices to the office of the Free State, abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner was attacked by pro-slavery representative Preston Brooks, in which he was beaten by a cane, when giving a speech on the Senate floor. This led for Sumner to be seriously injured due to the cane shattering, as well as causing for Northerners to be enraged. This heavily increased the tensions between the North and South, leading to the Civil War. -
Election 1856
The Election of 1856 caused for Democratic James Buchanan to win against Republican John C. Fremont and Millard Fillmore in the presidential election. He won by an electoral vote of 174. He was anti-slavery and didn't agree with the Kansas Nebraska Act. This increased the tensions between the North and South because of the arguments used in their campaigns to win the election. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott was born into slavery and was considered the property of Dr. Emerson, but in 1834, they had moved to Rock Island, Illinois (free state) but then later moved back to Missouri. After Emerson's passing, he sued Emersons widow, brining several questions into court. Ranging from if he was allowed to sue to if Scott's residence in free territory make him a free man. It was then established Scott wasn't allowed to sue since he was just seen as property, increasing expansion into the North. -
House Divided Speech
In 1858 in Springfield Illinois, Abraham Lincoln gave his House Divided Speech in which he opposed the courts Dred Scott Decision, argued against slavery and how it could cause a war. Lincoln also brought up that the government could not accept hald slave and half free, the union would be destroyed. This led to the civil war in hopes of abolishing slavery and winning him presidency in 1860. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
In 1858, Abraham Lincoln (Republican) and Stephen Douglas (Democrat) went against for a seat in Senate. Abraham Lincoln opposed the Kansas Nebraska Act, but Stephen Douglas contributed to this act hoping on popular sovereignty. They had completely different views, from their political opinions to what they supported. Again, this increased the tensions between North and South, undeciding if slavery should be abolished or expanded, in which the Freeport Doctrine abolished the importing of slaves. -
LeCompton Constitution
This constitution was proposed by pro-slavery advocates in hopes of protecting slaveholdings and containing a bill of rights but excluded free African Americans. The Lecompton Constitution was rejected, but if passed it would allow slavery in Kansas, which didn't occur since Kansas came into the US as a free state, increasing angering tensions between the Southerners. -
Harper's Ferry
In order to free slaves, John Brown held a movement by distributing weapons to abolitionists for anti-slavery. This increased tensions between the North and the South because it showed as an act of war, as well as the South had decided they needed to secede from the union, proving they were able to leave as they joined. It also increased the stakes of the election of 1860 because they saw these acts as violent and treason. -
John Brown
Continuing with John Brown's raid, on December 2nd of 1859, John Brown was charged for his acts of treason. He wasn't only charged for treason, as well as murder and insurrection. Due to this, he was sentenced to be hung. This increased the tensions between the North and the South since it was believed he was killed due to his believes. -
Election 1860
Abraham Lincoln, John Breckinridge, and Stephen Douglas, were running against for election in 1860. Abraham Lincoln was decided as the republican candidate while John Brekinridge was chosen for democrat candidate. As a result, Lincoln won with 180 electoral votes which established a republican leader. -
Secession
Many Southern states started to secede from the union because of the division between the north and the south. Beginning with South Carolina, along went, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, then Texas. This was done because South wanted to establish and increase the use of slavery. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
During Lincoln's first inaugural address, he establishes that he won't bother slave states, as well he wouldn't take away the Fugitive Slave Act. Since he was a man of being united, he was against the states seceding. He believed this went against the Constitution since the states have signed it.