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Civil War: The Leading Events
The events that lead up to the civil war were made up of many riots and compromises. The issue of slavery rocked the Union and Congress to the point of beatings and pillaging people the nation. -
The Missouri Compromise
This was a compromise to end the deadlock in Congress. One part of the compromise said that Missouri was to be a slave state. Also, to keep the nation balanced, Congress added Maine as a free state. The last part of the compromise is that Congress drew a line at 30°,36' to separate the slave states and the free states. Which divided the states into free and slave. -
The Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay came up with a compromise that he thought would please everyone. First, California would be instated as a free state. Then, New Mexico and Utah could choose whether to be free or free. Also, slave trade would end in Washington D.C., but they could keep their slaves. Lastly, the compromise made a new fugitive slave clause. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Stephen Douglas made a new act to abolish the Missouri Compromise. The act made both Kansas and Nebraska states and the setters could vote to make their state to be free or slave using popular sovereignty. Both the North and the South tried to take control of the states and cheat the system. -
The Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott case was a lawsuit by Scott for his freedom. Scott was a slave who went to Wisconsin for a business trip with his master. He believed that when he entered the state he was free. When he went to court he was denied freedom and the court said that no slave could apply for citizenship. When the North heard of this their stance on slavery strengthened. -
The Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. The Republican party wanted Lincoln to run for senator of Illinois. Lincoln said that slavery is not a legal thing but a moral one and the reason it is a controversy is that one group sees it as okay and the other doesn't. Lincoln lost the election, but the message was sent though out the Union. -
The Attack on Fort Sumter
When the South separated from the Union and became the Confederacy they forced the issue of war. They opened fire on Fort Sumter and it took 33 hours before the Fort surrendered. The time for compromise was over and the Union had to go to civil war.
