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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel that was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This story highlighted the horrors of slavery, which didn't sit well with Southerners because it painted them as the bad guys. Uncle Tom's Cabin increased the tension between the North and the South because of the controversy of slavery at the time. -
Republican Party
The Republican Party was made up of people who were against slavery, not long after the party was formed, the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed. Once it did, the Republicans combatted against slavery moving into the new territories. The party was supported by Northerners and again, increased tensions between the North and South. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act essentially repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1850 and created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. The act also influenced the idea of popular sovereignty, which is government based on the consent of the people, as well as Bleeding Kansas. This increased tensions as well, but it mostly set up for a bloodbath between the territories. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas played a huge role in the coming Civil War. This violent guerrilla war took place between pro-slavery and anti-slavery people in Kansas. In Lawrence, a hotel and newspaper building were burned down by John Brown in anger towards the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This violence led many northerners to the Republican Party to oppose slave power. This event also led to the LeCompton Constitution because of the pressure to legalize or prohibit slavery. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
During Sumner's "Crime Against Kansas" speech, he spoke badly about two Democratic senators, Stephan Douglas and Andrew Butler. While Douglas was present at this speech, Butler was not. Brooks, who was a representative, as well as Butler's kin, entered Sumner's chamber after the speech and beat Sumner with his cane. Brooks was never faulted for this action, but since Sumner's speech was faulting Democrats and slavery, the attack ended in more tensions between the North and South. -
Election of 1856
The candidates that were part of the Election of 1856 were James Buchanan, John C. Fremont, and Millard Fillmore. The winner of the election was James Buchanan, who was of the Democratic Party. This led to a lot of tension between the North and the South because of the battle between pro-slavery and anti-slavery. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott traveled to a different state after the passing of his owner, once this happened, he tried to sue for his freedom, and because of the Missouri Compromise, a slave was considered free if they were in a Northern state, but if they were in a Southern state, they were not considered free. When Scott took this to the Supreme Court, they were split. Scott did not win the case, but the Supreme Court declared that the Compromise was unconstitutional, again, increasing tensions. -
LeCompton Constitution
The LeCompton Constitution was a document that would have allowed slavery in Kansas, this document was one of four constitutions for Kansas. If the document had been passed, it would have legalized slavery in Kansas. While it was not passed, the Northern Republicans did not like the constitution, while the Southern Democrats supported the document. -
House Divided Speech
In this speech by Lincoln, he states that the country could not be divided by slavery because of the tension between the parts of the country. Lincoln knew that if the issue of slavery kept on that it would destroy the country. Which meant that there had to be a decision made. He also stated that the North and the South would not be able to make the decision because of their different views. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates that took place between Abraham Lincoln and Stephan Douglas. The debates that took place were about if slavery should be extended into the new territories and if states should be able to their own laws on slavery. Since these decisions could not be made easily and could not be agreed on, it continued to cause more tension. -
John Brown
John Brown, an abolitionist, became really prominent when he, and other abolitionists, targeted people who were pro-slavery, this became known as Pottawatomie Massacre. A few years later, Brown would lead the raid of Harper's Ferry. Harper's Ferry would be the end of Brown, after he was caught and imprisoned the Commonwealth of Virginia tried him for treason. The jury found him guilty and he was executed. While Brown himself didn't end slavery, he inspired people to act out against it. -
Harper's Ferry
Harper's Ferry was a federal arsenal, which is the storage of weapons and ammunition. The raid was started by John Brown in order to get weapons for slaves to use for a rebellion. Many people in the North saw John Brown as a hero, while others in the South saw him as an evil person. The Southerners were on edge because they felt that Northerners would start more slave rebellions. Since Brown tried to end slavery through a slave rebellion, it caused more tension and led to the Civil War. -
Election of 1860
The Election of 1860's candidates were Abraham Lincoln, John Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephan Douglas. The winner of the election was Lincoln, this election ended up causing a lot of issues, such as the secession of 1861, which caused many states to leave the Union. As the fight continued on slavery, tensions kept increasing. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Addresss
In Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address, Lincoln stated that he wanted peace in the nation, but that if the Union was provoked, they would not back down. Lincoln decided to have a compromise, the South would be able to keep their slaves, but this did not stop a war. -
Secession
In order to protect the states' rights, the Southern states decided to secede. The first state to secede was South Carolina, followed by the secession of six more and the threat of more. These states eventually made up the Confederate States during the Civil War. This was the official beginning of the war.