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Sectionalism
After the War of 1812, America was feeling a lot of nationalism. That nationalism soon became sectionalism. Sectionalism was the division of the Northern and Southern United States into opposing “sections”. Sectionalism occurred from the different economic interests. The North started industrialization and we were all about farming and agriculture. -
Kansas - Nebraska Act
In the Kansas-Nebraska act, Congress went against the Missouri Compromise and made the Kansas and Nebraska territories popular sovereignty. In the Missouri Act, they were not supposed to be free states. This was the cause of Bleeding Kansas because a lot of people went to Kansas in order to vote and it ended up in a huge fight with many deaths. This caused tension between us and The North because we were starting to fight and really disagree with each other. -
The Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision made all the Western territories open to becoming slave states. It caused even more tension between us and the North, which is why the trial was so significant. The North thought that Dred Scott should've become a free man, while we thought otherwise. Scott eventually did not become a free man, he remained a slave which made the us really happy, but the North unhappy. -
John Brown & The Raid in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia
John Brown was an abolitionist who attacked the armory at Harper’s Ferry. Brown’s plan was to steal the guns and give them to slaves so they could revolt. Luckily, his plan did not work very well because his plan was so secretive, that the slaves didn't even know that they were revolting. We began to be more careful after that, making the slave codes harsher so it wouldn't happen again. Brown was found guilty of murder, treason, and inciting a slave insurrection. Then he was hanged. -
The Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 was between Abraham Lincoln, John C. Breckenridge, John Bell, and Stephen Douglas. The North wanted Abraham Lincoln to win, and we wanted Breckenridge to win. This election put a lot of tension between us and the North for who the next president of the United States would be. Unfortunately Lincoln was elected, which was great for the North and the abolishment of slavery, but not so good for us. -
Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was controlled by the Union, and we were surrounding it. Lincoln had three choices on what to do. Retreat, Attack, or send provisions. So when he sent provisions we saw it as a threat and had no choice but to fire at Fort Sumter. That was the first shot, and the start of the Civil War.
