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The Events Leading up to the Civil War
This is a timeline of the events leading up to the Civil War. Between 1820 and 1860, Americans tried to bring in several compromises on the issue of slavery. Each compromise that the people brought in created many more problems. -
Missouri Compromise
In this Compromise, Missouri was admitted as a free state and Maine was admitted as a free state. Congress drew an imaginary line at latitude 36°30ʹ. Any territories north of this line would be banned from slavery, except Missouri. Anything south of this line would allow slavery. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was the agreements made in order to admit California into the Union as a free state.The agreemets also allowed the New Mexico and Utah territories to decide whether to allow slavery. It also outlawed the slave trade in Washington, D.C., and created a stronger fugitive slave law. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act was an act passed in 1854 that created the Kansas and Nebraska territories. It abolished the Missouri Compromise and allowed settlers to determine whether slavery would be allowed in the new territories. -
Dred Scott Descision
The Dred Scott Descision was a Supreme Court decision in 1857 that stated African Americans could never be citizens of the United States. It also stated that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. During the descision, votes of five to four, the Court had decided that Scott couldn't sue for his freedom in a federal court. This was said because he was not a citizen. Taney also said Scott couldn't become a citizen. -
The Election of 1860
The ELection of 1860 showed just how divided the nation had become. The Republicans voted for Lincoln. The Democrats had split between Northern and Southern territories. Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas for president. Southern Democrats supported John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky. The election became even more confusing when a group called the Constitutional Union Party voted for John Bell of Tennessee. Lincoln won the election with just 40 percent of the votes, all from the North. -
The Attack on Fort Sumter
On April 12, 1861, Confederates in Charleston opened fire on Fort Sumter, a federal fort in Charleston Harbor. After more than a day of war, the defenders of the fort took down the Stars and Stripes and replaced it with the white flag of surrender. This event was the event that started the Civil War
