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Events leading up to the Civil War
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The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a Northern Victory in which Henry Clay proposed several rules toward slavery. This act was established to help settle disagreements between the North and South. Many acts, which were part of the compromise, were passed during September that year. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was one of the few acts that were passed along with the Compromise of 1850. This act stated that anyone helping a runaway slave, mostly northerners, would be charged of a federal crime. Because of this, southerners were able to travel to the north looking for slaves. It was not unnormal for a southerner to pick any African American and claim they were a runaway. This angered the notherners, but the southerners were very proud of the law. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a novel known as Uncle Tom's Cabin. This novel decribed the cruelty of slavery, and displayed all of Stowe's opinions. She was not satisfied with any laws, and she completely opposed slavery. Harriet believed in fair treatment, and she blamed her country for the horrible things that were done to African Americans. Stowe also explains that man should not let such a thing happen in the United States of America, for our country should be well. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act divided the rest of the Louisianna purchase into two territories- Kansas and Nebraska. This completely abolished the Missouri compromise. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown had a brilliant plan, and he was ready to set it in action. He wanted to attack the federal arsenal in Virginia and seize the weapons stored there. He wanted to provide each slave with the guns that he had stolen. He wanted to kill any southerner that got in his way, and his sons went with him to do the job. Once the raid began, none of the African Americans would help him. John Brown eventually ended up being captured after several of his men were killed or taken. -
Election of 1860
In the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln won. Abraham Lincoln was against slavery and this angered the south.
