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1820 Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise contributed to the start of the Civil War by highlighting and intensifying sectional tensions over the issue of slavery. The compromise's geographical division and the prohibition of slavery in certain territories fueled growing disputes between the North and South. This eventually escalated into more profound disagreements over the expansion of slavery, culminating in the secession of Southern states and the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso aimed to ban slavery in any territory acquired from the Mexican-American War. Its introduction intensified the sectional conflict over the expansion of slavery, as it symbolized Northern opposition to the spread of slavery into newly acquired territories. The heated debates surrounding the Wilmot Proviso underscored the deepening divide between the North and the South, contributing to the growing tensions that ultimately played a role in the outbreak of the Civil War in 1861. -
Election of 1848 & the Free Soil Party
The Election of 1848 marked the rise of the Free Soil Party, which opposed the extension of slavery into newly acquired territories. While the party did not win the presidency, its emergence underscored the deepening divisions over the expansion of slavery. The Free Soil Party's platform and the debates surrounding the election further heightened sectional tensions contributing to the eventual outbreak of the Civil War. -
Compromise of 1850
In the end, rather than easing tensions, the Compromise of 1850made matters worse. By establishing a stronger fugitive slave law and admitting California as a free state, the compromise served to postpone the conflict for a while, but it did not solve the fundamental problems. Particularly the fugitive slave law fueled Northern resentment, which in turn fueled the escalating hostilities between the North and South and ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War. -
Fugitive Slave Act & Personal Liberty Laws
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 increased tensions by requiring Northern states to aid in the apprehension and return of runaway slaves. The growing rift between the North and South was exacerbated by this contentious law, which infuriated many Northerners and stoked abolitionist sentiments. As a result, a number of Northern states enacted Personal Liberty Laws in an effort to defend the rights of free African Americans and impede the Fugitive Slave Act's implementation. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's 1852 novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was a major contributor to the rise of anti-slavery sentiment in the North. The book's realistic depiction of the harsh realities of slavery made readers feel both outrage and empathy. Its broad appeal and powerful emotional resonance fueled the polarization of public opinion regarding slavery, igniting the abolitionist movement and escalating inter-sectoral tensions that ultimately sparked the start of the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 increased tensions over the spread of slavery. The Missouri Compromise's ban on slavery north of the 36°30' parallel was repealed, which exacerbated sectional conflict and resulted in bloody confrontations between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in the area, which came to be known as "Bleeding Kansas." The act's controversy and aftermath hastened the breakdown of the agreement between the North and South, which ultimately aided in the outbreak of the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas
The term "Bleeding Kansas" describes the bloody conflicts and political unrest that broke out in the Kansas Territory.The violence brought attention to the stark divisions between the pro- and anti-slavery factions and fueled their growing animosity. The incidents in "Bleeding Kansas" increased tensions even more and were a major factor in bringing the country dangerously close to the outbreak of the Civil War. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
Douglas's presentation of the Freeport Doctrine during the debates exposed the ideological divide between the two contenders and further polarized the North and South by adding to the national conversation about slavery. Lincoln didnt win the Senate seat, but his powerful speeches opposing the expansion of slavery elevated him to prominence.This helped pave the way for his election as president in 1860 and the subsequent secession of Southern states, which in turn sparked the American Civil War. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
A incident that increased tensions between the North and the South and aided in the start of the Civil War was John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859. Abolitionist Brown was unsuccessful to spark a slave uprising by taking control of the federal arsenal located in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. The raid widened the gulf between the two regions and increased fears of Northern abolitionist aggression in Southern slaveholders, which in turn prepared the ground for conflict. -
Election of 1860 & the Republican Party
The Republican nominee Abraham Lincoln's victory in the 1860 election was a major factor in the events leading up to the Civil War. Southern states were alarmed by the Republican Party's platform,which opposed the spread of slavery into the territories. After Lincoln was elected without receiving a single electoral vote from the South, Southern states began to fear increased federal meddling in their enslavement,which ultimately resulted in their secession and the start of the Civil War in 1861. -
Secession of Eleven Southern Sates
Fearing that the federal government would meddle in slavery affairs, the Southern states felt that secession was essential to preserving their social and economic structures. Due to their irreconcilable differences, the Union and the Confederacy split apart, paving the way for the creation of the Confederate States of America and the start of the Civil War in 1861.