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Conflicts leading up to the civil war
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Nat Turner’s rebellion was a slave rebellion in in Southampton County, Virginia. Led by Nat Turner, rebel slaves killed at least 51 white people before they were taken down. Many slaves were executed or severely punished in response to this. More white militias were put in place to crack down on slaves. Laws were passed brohibiting slaves and free black’s education, restricting assemblies, and all-black worship services.
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Elijah P. Lovejoy was an abolitionist journalist shot and killed by a pro-slavery mob in Alton, Illinois. This took place during an attack on Godfrey and Gilman’s warehouse to destroy abolitionist press. This was an attempt to stop the spread of abolitionism by pro-slavery groups.
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The Battle of Palo Alto was the first major battle of the Mexican-American war. It took place on disputed ground in Texas. General Zachary Taylor lead soldiers into battle against much larger Mexican troops and ended up victorious.
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Taylor once again lead the US army to victory and pushed Mexican troops out of Texas. This and the battle of Palo Alto lead to Texas joining the union and later succeeding.
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Olmsted was a prominent journalist in the 1800s. He visited Mississippi in 1853 and wrote of the terrible treatment they slaves endured. He talked about their “incessant labor” and “terrible physical suffering.” Olmsted’s writing got the word out to many people in the north who would then support the abolition of slavery.
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Bleeding Kansas was a serious of violent confrontations over whether or not Kansas should be a slave state. Some examples of violence are John Brown’s raid and the Wakarusa war. The south wanted Kansas to be a slave state to keep balance in the union and since it would be based on popular sovereignty, many people rushed to live there.
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Pro-slavery representative from South Carolina Preston Brooks beat senator Charles Sumner with a cane in senate. He did this after Sumner’s speech attacking slavery. This is an example between the divide between the North and South’s government representatives.
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John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry was an effort to instigate a slave rebellion in the south. His goal was to seize arms and arsenal, but it was poorly planned and was a failure. This gave him and slaves a reputation of being violent and dangerous.
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The Battle of Fort Sumner was the first battle of the civil war. When attempting to resupply a sort in newly succeeded South Carolina, the unarmed ship was fired at and forced to return home.
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A picture of a slave numbed Gordon was published in Harper’s Weekly revealing the terrible scars on his back from whippings. This lead to the growth of abolitionism in the north.
