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Events Leading Up to the Civil War
The Civil War, fought over slavery, had two sides, the Union and the Confederates. Many incidents occurred to lead up to this bloody war. Because of the fact that the issue of slavery was being postponed for many years, something bad was bound to happen. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise, thought of by Henry Clay, would allow Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state while Maine would enter as a free state. An imaginary would also be created at 36° and 37' and slavery was banned above this line. The North did not like this because they did not like the thought of MO entering the Union as a slave state. South did not like this too because it banned slavery in a part of the Louisiana Territory. -
The Compromise of 1850
A new compromise was formed by Henry Clay and Daniel Webster. It said California would be a free state; Utah and New Mexico could choose what kind of state they would be; slave trade is illegal in D.C. but slave owners could keep their slaves, and it called for a new fugitive slave law that helped slave owners get back runaway slaves. The North disliked this because they didn't want to help the slave owners get their slaves back. South was mad because the law was not consistent. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, proposed by Senator Stephen Douglas, abolished the Missouri Compromise and allowed people to decided: free or slave.The compromise also added two new territories, Kansas and Nebraska. The North feared that slavery would expand throughout the plains, but Douglas said the climate in Kansas and Nebraska was not suited for slavery. The North was still worried. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was in Wisconsin with his slave owner when he appealed for his freedom to the Supreme Court. He said his stay in Wisconsin made him free but Judge Taney thought differently. Judge Taney said that he could not sue for his freedom because no African American be or become a citizen. He also rejected the argument that Wisconsin made him free because the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. South was happy because the slavery issue was solved, benefiting them. North was enraged. -
Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 showed how different the country was. The republicans wanted Lincoln, northern Democrats wanted Stephen Douglas, southern Democrats wanted John C. Breckinridge, and and the Constitutional Union Party wanted John Bell. Lincoln won with only 40 percent of the votes and the South saw this as a big mistake. Now, South was a minority and Congress could outlaw slavery. There was a talk of secession and in February 1861, seven states formed the Confederate States of America. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
Confederates for South Carolina opened fire on Fort Sumter, a federal court in the Charleston Harbor. The Union was the defender and surrendered after 33 hours. The news spread across the North like the chicken pox. It outraged the North and now they wanted to use force to stop the rebels. Now the fate of the United States rested on a Civil War.
