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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was the first in a series of novels written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. She was a abolitionist that wanted to convey how bad slavery was. However, this novel had serious backlash from the North as well as the South becuase it misinterpreted slavery. This contributed to the Civil war becuase it increased tensions about slavery between the North and the South. -
Republican Party
After the the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the present day Republican party was formed. Former Whig Party members got together to create a new party to prevent the spread of slavery into the western territories. This contributed to the Civil War becuase most of the North supported the Republican Party while the South opposed them. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act addressed the expansion of slavery by removing the Missouri Act and instead the line was now in Louisiana and created two new territories which allowed for popular sovereignty. This heavily contributed to the Civil War because it caused bloody Kansas, the new Republican Party, and majorly increased tensions between the North and South. -
Bloody Kansas- May 21, 1856
Bloody Kansas happened after the Kansas Nebraska Act. It was because Kansas was a free state before this Act and was created a slave state after which made pro-slavery people come to Kansas. This made anti-slavery people already living in Kansas furious and they fought with pro-slavery people for territory and power. This contributed to the Civil War because it was a brawl for power between the North and the South which only increased conflict between them. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
The Brooks-Sumner Incident was where, in the Senate, Brooks struck his cane with a metal tip against Summer's head. Sumner then stood up and stumbled around the room in an attempt to defend himself as Brooks attacked repeatedly. After this, both people were seen as heros in their own regions. This furthermore contributed to the Civil War, becuase the nation became more split after this and made the North and the South infuriated at each other since they blamed each other for it happening. -
Election 1856
The election of 1856 was between Democratic nominee James Buchanan and Republican nominee John C. Frémont. James Buchanan won the election with 174 electoral college votes. This created even more tension between the North and the South becuase of the new Republican Party now being used in elections. Also, James Buchanan campaign to remain the status quo on South has slavery, North does not, only infuriated northerners more. -
LeCompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was written at Lecompton, Kansas, in 1857 by supporters of Kansas statehood from the South who supported slavery. It intensified the tensions leading up to the American Civil War because it continued protecting slaveholding and a bill of rights that excluded free Blacks. However, it was rejected later on. -
Dred Scott - March 6, 1857
Dred Scott was a African American that had a decade long court case for his freedom. The court case was about whether he was a citizen of the United States and a freeman since he had went to a free state. They went against him and it contributed the the anti-slavery movement which served as another stepping stone toward the Civil War. -
House Divided Speech
Lincoln argued in his "house divided" address that the Dred Scott ruling from the previous year had already paved the way for slavery to be legal in the north as well as all of the territories that the U.S. had acquired. He said that now was the time to act if the United States wanted to remain a free nation. This contributed to the Civil War as well becuase it made the South not like Lincoln and oppose the North more. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
During the 1858 Illinois senate campaign, Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas and Republican opponent Abraham Lincoln engaged in a series of seven debates, most of which focused on the question of extending slavery into the territories. This added onto the other many causes of the Civil War by increasing tension between the two Parties of the Republican North and the Democratic South. -
Harper's Ferry
On October 16, 1859, late at night, while most of the town's citizens were asleep, John Brown and 21 of his armed supporters sneaked into Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now West Virginia). They wanted to incite a revolt among freed slaves and to command a "army of emancipation" to violently abolish slavery. This continued tensions between the North and the South by influencing free slaves to revolt against slavery using force which made slave owners angry at Brown. -
John Brown - December 2, 1859
John Brown was a twisted man that tried to start a slave revolt to fight against slavery and he gave them weapons. However, he claimed that he wanted them to be equal, yet he gave them upgraded farm tools as weapons instead of guns like he had. He was executed on December 2, 1859 because of his actions. He influenced the Civil War becuase he made southern slave owners angry at the fact he tried to forcefully influence a slave rebellion. -
Election 1860
In the election, there were two independent sectional campaigns: one in the North, where Lincoln faced off against Douglas, and one in the South, where Breckinridge and Bell faced off against one another. Lincoln's name was absent from the ballot in 10 states, and the Republicans did not campaign in the South. In the end, Lincoln gained 180 Electoral College votes. This election revealed how divided the country had became and further contributed to the Civil War when Lincoln became president. -
Secession
After Lincoln won the Election of 1860, Southerners had enough and seven states dropped from the Union. Those states included South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. This was the final event that completely separated the North and the South before the Civil War. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
Lincoln tried to strike a balance in his inauguration speech between being forceful and friendly. Although he opposed secession, he also vowed to "not interfere with the institution of slavery where it exists." This contributed to the Civil War becuase even after succeeding the South was not willing to make peace after all that has happened and the war was knocking on the door. The Civil War then started a month later on April 12, 1961 and lasted until April 9, 1865.