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Events Leading up to the Civil War
The North and the South were becoming more and more different. Compromise after compromise failed to fix the crumbling country. The country was falling apart and the government was desperately trying to fix it. Many knew that the increasing division in between the North and the South would ultimately lead to war. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise drew an imaginary line at 36°30’. North of the line slavery was banned (except for Missouri) but South of the line slavery was permitted. Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine was admitted as a free state. The compromise pleased no one. This split the nation further because the northern congressmen who voted to let Missouri be a slave state were considered traitors. The south knew that the compromise put a ban on slavery in the Louisiana Territory. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay's compromise was finally accepted after a nine month debate in congress. His compromise had something for everyone. It admitted California as a Free State, but left Utah and New Mexico open to slavery. Also, slaves would no longer be sold in the nation's capital, but slave owners could keep their slaves. It also called for a fugitive slave law so the runaway slaves would be returned to their masters. This continued to enforce the idea of the South's secession which would lead to war. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act scrapped the Missouri Compromise. It left the territories to decide whether to permit slavery or not. The northerners feared slavery expanding into the West. Southerners wanted to allow slavery in the territories. The North and South sent settlers to support or oppose slavery, but it got violent. Pro-slavery settlers attacked Lawrence, Kansas, the home of an anti-slavery government. The violence led to an greater split and everyone knew more violence was to come. -
Dred Scott Descision
Dred Scott was a slave. He argued that when his master moved to Wisconsin, he became a free man. The court rejected his argument and said the Missouri compromise was unconstitutional. Also, by a vote of 5 to 4, they said Scott could not sue because he could never be a citizen. The southerners were very pleased with the ruling, but northerners were outraged; splitting the country farther in two. The northerners claimed the decision to be a “wicked and false judgment”. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was bizarre. The nation was so divided and everyone knew it. Lincoln had three opponents in the election. Stephen Douglass, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell were his opponents. Lincoln did win, but with only 40% of the votes. He wasn’t even on the ballots in 10 southern states. The South was now a minority and this scared every southerner. They knew congress would try to abolish slavery. Talk of secession rang throughout the South. The South new it had to fight back. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
On April 12 “hotheads” from Charleston South Carolina opened fire on Fort Sumter. After 33 hours of constant explosions, the American flag was finally replaced with the white flag of surrender. No one was killed in the attack. It was a bloodless opening to a very bloody war. The time for compromise was over. Everyone was ready for war. The attack on Fort Sumter was the official beginning of the Civil War. The issues that had divided the nation for years would now be decided by war.
