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Uncle Tom's Cabin
This novel was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It described the life and death of a slave named Uncle Tom. The South and the North thought that the book misrepresented slavery, but the North grew sympathetic towards the slaves. This caused tensions between the North and South to increase because people in the North started to support antislavery while people in the South remained pro-slavery. -
Republican Party
The Republican Party was a political party that wanted to ban slavery in western territories. Their slogan was "Free labor, free soil, free men", which shows that they were against slavery. This caused tension between the North and the South because it led to conflict occurring between the Republican and Democratic parties. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act created two new territories: the Kansas Territory and the Nebraska Territory. The people who lived in these areas were able to decide for themselves if slavery should be allowed or not allowed, which is known as popular sovereignty. This Act replaced the Missouri Compromise. It led to tensions between the North and South because proslavery and antislavery forces rushed to these areas, so that they could vote their way, which led to a lot of conflict & fighting. -
Beginning of Bloody Kansas, ended in 1861
This occurred in Kansas and this was a "war" between proslavery and antislavery forces. The Kansas Nebraska Act influenced this event. The North and the South rushed to the Kansas Territory since the North wanted it to be a free state while the South wanted it to be a slave state. The North and South were trying to settle in Kansas as fast as possible. Proslavery and antislavery forces were fighting over this territory, which increased tensions since it meant that conflict was going to stir up. -
Brooks-Summer Incident
Senator Charles Summer denounced multiple Southern senators and was calling the southerners out for what they had done. Preston Brooks, a South Carolina Congressman, walked into the Senate and hit Brooks in the head with a cane. Brooks did this since Summer wrote a speech that was attacking the southerners. -
Election of 1856
The Election of 1856 was between John Fremont (Republican nominee), James Buchanan (Democrat nominee) , and Millard Fillmore (American Party nominee). Took place in the middle of Kansas's civil war. This election created tensions between the North and South because it was the 1st election where voting divided along rigid sectional lines. The person who won this election and later became president was James Buchanan. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott was involved in a court case known as Scott vs. Sanford. Scott believed that he should be a free man since he lived on free territory, but the Supreme Court ruled against Scott. The S.C. said that Scott was not a citizen, but he was property. S.C. said that Congress didn't have power to prohibit slavery in territories. The Court also declared that the M.C. was unconstitutional, which caused the tensions to rise between the North and South since slavery was questioned once again. -
LeCompton Constitution
This Constitution was written by proslavery supporters, which are southerners. This Constitution was created to make Kansas a slave state. It had clauses protecting slave holding and a bill of rights that excluded free blacks. Congress rejects the Constitution, which causes the nation to divide. It creates tension between the North and the South because both are fighting over Kansas and trying to make it a free state or a slave state. -
House Divided Speech
The House Divided Speech was written and delivered by Abraham Lincoln in Springfield, Illinois. In this speech, Lincoln addressed the issue of slavery. Lincoln believed that slavery was evil/immoral and wanted it to end. He knew that the states were eventually going to have to decide on a free or slave state, which would either cause the North to become mad or the South. Lincoln said "a house divided against itself cannot stand" and he knew that a compromise on slavery was very unlikely. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
This was a series of 7 debates between Stephen Douglas (Democratic senator) and Abraham Lincoln (Republican).The major issue that was addressed at these debates was the spread of slavery into the territories. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery and Douglas allowed the expansion of slavery. They were addressing the problem that divided the nation into 2 hostile camps, which threatened the existence of the Union. Lincoln failed to win a Senate seat and Douglas won reelection. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown, an abolitionist, decided to capture/raid the federal arsenal that was located in Harper's Ferry, Virginia with at least 20 other men. Brown wanted to take weapons that were in the US arsenal to give to slaves, so he could start an armed slave rebellion/revolt. Brown was sentenced to death because of this since he committed treason. This increased tensions because it caused the South to be more hostile towards the North since Brown was on the edge of a starting a slave rebellion. -
John Brown
John Brown went to trial for committing treason, murder, and an insurrection of slaves when he raided Harper's Ferry in Virginia. Since he committed treason, he was walked out of the courthouse and was taken to his execution (he was hanged). Brown said he never intended to commit treason or murder. He also thought that his punishment was unfair since he believed that a rich white man would be set free if he committed the same crime. He also said that it was a religious mission for God. -
Election of 1860
The candidates in this election were Abraham Lincoln (R), John Breckenridge (S.D), John Bell (C.U.), and Stephen Douglas (ND). Some of the issues that were addressed in this election were slavery, abolition, and secession. Lincoln won the election.This created tension between the North and the South because the Democrats and Republicans were still disagreeing about slavery. Since Lincoln won, it could have made the South think that he would try to end slavery since he believed it was wrong/evil. -
South Carolina Secession
South Carolina seceded from the Union in 1860. The South was worried that Lincoln (a Republican) would attempt to undermine slavery by appointing antislavery judges, military officers, etc. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. A declaration was created by the secession convention to justify South Carolina's decision. It created tension between the North and South because the South thought that the North would destroy their way of life that revolved around slavery. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
Lincoln presented 12 major points in this speech. His main purpose of giving this speech was to make the northerners happy and to reassure the southerners that they wouldn't have to worry about their property, peace, or security because of a Republican Administration. The South was worried about slavery since there wasn't a proslavery candidate in office anymore. This speech led to the Civil War occurring.
