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Conflicts leading up to the Civil War
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Economic and Social division
Eli Whitney`s invention of the Cotton Gin made the souths profit from cotton explode makeing the South a single crop driven area. Cotton was a hard crop to grow so they relied on slaves to grow and harvest the crop. The north at this time was industrializing and did not use slave labor. Slavery was a huge dispute in congress. -
Mexican American War
After the Americas win the war with Mexico lots of new land and territory is added to the US. With the new area congress had to decide wether these states would be slave or free states. -
Oregon Treaty
This treaty created issues becasuye some polititians said that it was limiting Northent expansion wile the south was free to expand as they please with the Mexican American war. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a slave who lived in a free state for an extended period of time with his family and his master. After being unable to purchase his freedom he sued fedral court for his freedom. This sue went all the weay to the US supreme court. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Reqired that all runaway slaves where to be captured and sent back to their masters. The Northern people where forced to accept this law and enfore it. This angered many nothern abolitionists. -
Bleeding Kansas
The congress decided to make the territory able to decide wether they (states) want to be slave or free by a vote. This is called popular sovernty. Pro and anti slave people moved there and fighting broke out for 3 years to decide. At first a pro slavery constitution was made and sent to congress, but this was rejected. Than a free Kansas was sent to congress and was approved. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This Act allowed the new Sates to decided whether the the states would be free or slave. This act broke the missouri compromize angering Northern abolitionists. -
Caning of Charles Sumner
Representative Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner
with his cane in retaliation to SUmners speach two days earlyer. This changed the peoples veiws on the expasion of laver because Brooks was pro slavery and Sumner was an abolitionsists. The south took Brooks side as the North took Sumners side. -
John Brown`s Raid
John Brown beleived in antislavery and wished to create many slave rebellions in the south. John lead a small group of anti slavery people and took over the governments arsonal in Virginia. He managed to capture the arsonal but was soon stopped by US marines lead by Robert E. Lee. His actions made the south crack down and have more restrictions and rules for slaves. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
This was the battle of Fort Sumter near South Carolina. This was the start to the American civil war. Becasue of the Southern seceesion and demanding that
