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Compromises and the Start of a War
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The Missouri Compromise
In 1820 Missouri applied for statehood, one of the problems was whether it should be a free or slave state. For weeks Congress struggled to find a solution but then Henry Clay of Kentucky came up with an idea. He said that Missouri would be a slave state while Maine who was trying to join the union would be a free state. The compromise satisfied no one in the north or in the south. But after a little while the comprise was passed. -
The Compromise of 1850
In the winter of 1850 Henry Clay met with Daniel Webster to come up with a compromise. Now California was applied to be a free state. This compromise satisfied the north and the south. California became a free state. The compromise said that New Mexico and Utah territories would become slave territories and there would be no slave salve trade in Washington DC. Also slave owners could reclaim the slaves that escaped in the north. But no one was happy with the fugitive law. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
At this time America wanted to buy the island of Cuba from Spain. With this northerners were outraged because the south wanted to add another slave state to the union. Then another bill was proposed by Stephen A Douglas of Illinois to build a railroad to California. By doing this Kansas and Nebraska territories would now become slave territories so the railroad could be built. This also enraged the north by making new slave territories. This caused people to move into Kansas. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act Continued
Some people who came to Kansas were farmers. Others were Pro-Slavery or Anti-Slavery. Soon supplies and weapons were being sent to both sides and then there were two governments fighting in Kansas. First there was an attack on Lawrence Kansas, which was the heart of the Anti-Slavery government. There was also an outrage in congress an soon senator Sumner was attacked by Preston Brooks with a cane. -
Dredd Scott Case
1857 there was a man named Dredd Scott who traveled to Wisconsin with his owner to become free. The question was whether when he entered would he become a free man. Also was the Missouri compromise a good use of the constitutional power. The verdict was that Dredd Scott would not be granted citizenship. Also the Missouri Compromise was unconstutional. -
The Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln ran in two elections, his first was in 1858 when he ran for senate. His opponent was Stephen Douglas. Douglas and Lincoln both showed up to many debates but in the End Lincoln lost. His second election was in 1860 when he ran for president, Lincoln won the election but the south was outraged. It thought that they could no longer make decisions for national events or policies -
Attack on Fort Sumter
When Lincoln took office he said he would not interfere with slavery in the south and he would enforce the Fugitive slave law. But he wouldn't let slavery go into the territories. Soon after Lincoln made his decision South Carolina broke away from the union followed by several other states. Then they attacked Fort Sumter and after 33 hours of being bombarded the fort surrendered, although not a single person was killed, and that was the start of the civil war.
