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The Missouri Compromise
In an attempt to maintain the balance of power in Congress between the slave and free states, the Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 which ending up making Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state in order to keep balance. Many citizens felt that the Missouri Compromise made the North appear to be more aggressive involving its anti-slavery views and contributed to the South's bitterness towards the North, which most likely helped lead to the civil war. -
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Events Leading Up To The Civil War
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Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion
Nat Turner's rebellion was a murderous rampage led out by slaves in 1831. The rebellion was led by Nat Turner and was followed by seven other slaves. During the rebellion, Turner’s master, Joseph Travis was killed along with about 60 other whites. The uprising had repercussions throughout the South. It became clear to the whites that slaves were willing to die for freedom. More rigid slave codes were created as a result and would later on become a reference to part of the reasoning to the war. -
The Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American war began on May 13, 1846 when America decided to declare war on Mexico at the request of President James K. Polk. Polk wanted to take Texas, California, Oregon, and other territories as part of the nations "manifest destiny" that he wanted to spread across the nation all the way to the Pacific. In the end, America declared victory. This was could've contributed to the civil war because of the controversy of whether or not slavery would be prohibited westward. -
The Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was proposed by Pennsylvania representative, David Wilmot, in 1846. This Wilmot proviso was created to prohibit slavery in new territoried acquired from the Mexican-American war. This was proposed because Wilmot and others did not want slavery to go any more westward. David Wilmot was very against slavery and involuntary servitude but unfortunately, his proposal efforts were unsuccessful because of how controversial they were. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 consists of five laws that was that dealt with the issue of slavery. Senator Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions in an attempt to find a compromise and stay away from further tension between North and South. There five laws were the outlaw of the slave trade in Washington DC, California's admission as a free state, a boundary between Texas and New Mexico, stopping slavery in its tracks, and the enforcement of popular sovereignty in western territories. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was a major part of The Compromise of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act was a law that made it illegal for citizens to help a run away slave. If someone was caught helping a slave, they could be fined up to $1,000 or even could be faced with 6 months in prison. This act only increased efforts against slavery, and in addition to this, created more tension between to the North and the South. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, is a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and was published within the US on 1852. Uncle Tom's Cabin is an abolitionist novel and it achieved wide popularity, particularly among white readers in the North. This was done by describing in vivid detail about the experience of slavery. This novel changed societal attitudes about slavery, and created a lot of controversy around it, so much that many believed that this novel was the cause of the war. -
Bloody Kansas
Bloody Kansas was a serious of violent acts in the US. In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act messed with the Missouri Compromise’s boundaries between slave and free territory. Instead they used the principle of popular sovereignty and decided that the residents would determine whether the area became a free state or a slave state. The fighting further strained the relationship between the North and the South, -
Caning of Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner was the Republican leader of the anti-slavery in Massachusetts and on May 19, 1856, Sumner delivered a speech, condemning those who wanted to extent slavery in the Kansas territory. He aimed his speech mostly at Andrew Butler of South Carolina. A distant relative of Butler did not like his speech so he decided to bash Sumner over the head violently with a cane till he was unconscious. It took roughly 4 years for Sumner to recover. -
Dred Scott VS Sanford
Dred Scott VS Sanford was a court case where a slave named Dred Scott, tried to sue to obtain his freedom. During this case, Scott argued that he was free because he resided in free territory and the the court argued back saying that Scott couldn't sue because he wasn't properly a citizen. This created tensions within the US because there were people who thought that Dred Scott was a free citizen. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
In 1859, abolitionist John Brown lead a small group on a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He lead this in an attempt to massacre slave owners and free the slaves so he could take down the institution of slavery, but his raid failed and he was captured and then later executed. Although the raid failed, it created major tensions between North and South that nearly impossible to fathom and thus became an important stepping stone to the Civil War. -
The Election of 1860
Thanks to the attempt of the raiding of Harpers Ferry, it raised the stakes for the election of 1860. In the end, Abraham Lincoln was elected. This struck fear for many southerners because Lincoln was very much against slavery. The South knew he would put an end to the expansion of slavery. To them, he was a threat, and represented the worst of northern politicians. This eventually lead to the creation of the Confederate States. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
The battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle within the American Civil War. It consisted of the bombardment of the sea fort by Confederate forces, and the return gunfire forced the Union garrison to surrender. The result of this Battle was the beginning of the Civil War.
