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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 temporarily balanced free and slave states, but it highlighted the growing sectional divide over slavery. Its failure to resolve the issue in the long term contributed to rising tensions that ultimately led to the Civil War. -
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
Nat Turner's Rebellion of 1831 intensified fears of slave uprisings in the South and led to harsher laws controlling enslaved people. It deepened the divide between the North and South, fueling pro-slavery sentiment in the South and anti-slavery activism in the North, further setting the stage for the Civil War. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 heightened tensions between the North and South by requiring Northerners to return runaway slaves, which angered abolitionists and increased resistance to slavery. This law contributed to the growing divide, fueling the sectional conflicts that eventually led to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott decision of 1857 ruled that African Americans, whether free or enslaved, could not be citizens and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. This ruling deepened the divide between North and South, intensifying the debate over slavery and pushing the nation closer to Civil War. -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) exposed the brutal realities of slavery, rallying anti-slavery sentiment in the North and increasing tension with the South. The book became a powerful tool in the abolitionist movement, significantly contributing to the rising conflict that eventually led to the Civil War. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed settlers in those territories to decide for themselves whether to permit slavery, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise. This led to violent conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas," intensifying sectional divisions and bringing the nation closer to Civil War. -
Brooks attacks Sumner
In 1856, Congressman Preston Brooks physically attacked Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor after Sumner gave an anti-slavery speech, highlighting the violent polarization over slavery. This incident fueled further animosity between the North and South, symbolizing the growing sectional tensions that would culminate in the Civil War. -
Raid on Harper’s Ferry
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859 aimed to incite a slave uprising, but it ended in failure and Brown's capture. The event intensified Southern fears of abolitionist violence, while galvanizing Northern support for the anti-slavery cause, further deepening the divisions that led to the Civil War. -
Lincoln is Elected President
Abraham Lincoln's election as president in 1860 was seen by the South as a direct threat to slavery, as he opposed its expansion into new territories. His victory prompted several Southern states to secede from the Union, setting the stage for the outbreak of the Civil War. -
Jefferson Davis becomes President of Confederacy
Jefferson Davis becoming the President of the Confederacy in 1861 symbolized the South's commitment to preserving slavery and its determination to form a separate nation. His leadership solidified the divide between the North and South, directly leading to the outbreak of the Civil War. -
Fort Sumter is attacked
The attack on Fort Sumter in April 1861 by Confederate forces marked the beginning of the Civil War, as it provoked a military response from the Union. This event solidified the divide between the North and South, pushing the nation into full-scale conflict. -
General Scott discusses the Anaconda Plan
General Winfield Scott's Anaconda Plan, proposed in 1861, aimed to blockade Southern ports and control the Mississippi River to suffocate the Confederacy’s economy and military. This strategy shaped Union military efforts during the Civil War, aiming to strangle the South into submission and ultimately leading to its defeat.