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Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay introduced a series of resoultions so that there wouldn't be a dispute between the North and the South. California entered the Union as a free state. The Fugitive Slave Act was amended, and the slave trade in Washington, D.C. was abolished. This happened throughout the United States. Also Utah was created, and we gained New Mexico. This is a significant cause of the Civil War because the North and South disagreed on how the states were seperated. -
Fugitive Slave Law
As part of The Compromise of 1850 Congress passed this law. This law stated that citizens must assist in the caputure and arrest of runaway slaves. It also denied the slaves to a trial by jury. Some Northern states strongly disagreed with this law. This was a law that everyone was suppose to follow, even though some didn't. On June 28, 1864 both slave laws were repealed. This is a significant cause of the Civil War because the South completely agreed with these laws while the North disagreed. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote this novel to inform people about how slaves were being treated. When she moved to Ohio she heard first hand stories from former slaves, and witnessed slavery while in Kentucky. This helped motivate the abolitionists to try and helped slaves and end slavery. Her book was a best seller, and probably showed people how wrong this was. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott sued his owner after arguing that he was legally free because he has been living in a state where slavery was banned. The case went to the Missouri Supreme Court where they sided with Mr. Sandford. He later appealed to the Supreme Court. They stated they could not take the case because he was not a citizen. This is a significant cause of the Civil War because the North saw this as the Supreme Court was for the South, and they were angered by this. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown was planning on attacking Harper's Ferry and seizing the arsenal. Also he hoped that the local slaves would join him and his men. The slaves did not join him, and he was held down at the arsenal and captured later on. He was sentenced to death for treason against the state of Virginia. This is a significant cause of the Civil War because it showed the North that they should stand up and fight back. -
Election of 1860
Four candidates fought for presidency over a deeply divided Democratic party. The candidates were: Republican Abraham Lincoln, Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Constitutional Union candidate John Bell, and Northern Democrat Stephen Douglas. Lincoln won the election, and because of that multiple southern states seceded. He later on ended slavery. This is significant to the Civil War because he ended slavery, so most southern states were against him.
