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The Missouri Compromise
The three main ideas of the Missouri Compromise include: Maine entered the Union as a free state, Missouri entered the Union as a slave state, and an imaginary line across the Louisiana territory separated the free northern states from the southern slave states. The Missouri Compromise attempted to reach a compromise between slave states and free states before Southerners would leave the union or a civil war began. Instead, it helped lead to the Civil War because both sides were still angry. -
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Events Leading to the Civil War
The time leading up to the Civil War was a tense time in the Union. Even efforts to create compromise had outcomes that further divided the Union. There were five main events that led to the Civil War. These events were: The Missouri Compromise, The Compromise of 1850, The Kansas-Nebraska Act, The Dred Scott case, and the Election of 1860. The attack on Fort Sumter was seen as an attack on the Union and began the Civil War. There were clear differences and these differences resulted in war. -
Compromise of 1850
There are four parts of The Compromise of 1850 which include: California entered the Union as a free state, the Utah and New Mexico Territories allowed slavery, Congress would strengthen the Fugitive Slave Law, and the National Government would end the slave trade in the nation's capital. It kept the balance between the states for a while, but people on both sides were still frustrated. Opposition was so fierce that it further divided slave states and free states which later led the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act created the Nebraska and Kansas Territories. It also abolished the Missouri Compromise by allowing settlers to determine whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories. The settlers coming to these territories could not agree and sometime there were violent conflicts. This Act helped lead to the Civil War when the conflict led to the Senate floor and a disagreement between Senator Sumner and Senator Douglas became violent and further divided the country. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a Mississippi slave who traveled with his owner to Wisconsin, where slavery had been banned. He went to court for his freedom and argued that his time in Wisconsin had made him a free man. The Supreme Court ruled that Scott could not sue for his freedom because he was not, and could never become, a citizen. It also ruled that his time in Wisconsin did not make him a free man. This led to the Civil War because it deepened the conflict between Northern and Southern states. -
Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 elected Abraham Lincoln as president. Southerners were enraged with this victory. As a result of their frustration, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Later, six more stated followed South Carolina's lead. Lincoln addressed it as wrong and unconstitutional. He also ordered those states to come back to the Union. This election helped lead to the Civil War because it began the Confederate States of America and a beak up of the Union. -
The Attack on Fort Sumter
One month after Lincoln became president, the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter was a federal fort located in the Charleston Harbor. The heavy attack lasted 33 hours until the defenders of Fort Sumter surrendered. This attack began the Civil War. The North was furious that the Confederates had fired on the American flag. It was clear that the country was divided and compromise was no longer an option.
