Tension Between North and South

John Brown

1850

Brown was an active abolitionist in the movement, also lead Bleeding Kansas. He was a hero towards the North and hated in the south. His works in the 1850s overall increased the tension between the north and south and were the leading cause of the Civil War.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Mar 20, 1852

This novel was an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This novel caused the north to feel more empathy for slaves and become more opposed to slavery, but the south was unfazed and worked harder to defend slavery. This was also one of the causes of the Civil war.

Republican Party

Mar 20, 1854

This was formed by a group of anti-slavery whigs by forces that opposed the expansion of slavery. The republican party was well supported in the North but opposed to in the South and also threatened to leave the union if a Republican won the presidency.

Kansas Nebraska Act

May 30, 1854

This act passed by Congress allowed the people of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves to have slavery in their boundaries. This increased tension between the north and south, the south agreed with the act since Kansas was a slave state, but the North did agree and it resulted in many attacks.

Bloody Kansas

1855

This was a series of attacks in Kansas over the lawfulness of making Kansas a slave state through the popular sovereignty of the Kansas Nebraska Act, this increased the tension between the north and south and caused the Civil War.

Election of 1856

Nov 4, 1856

This election was between James Buchanon( Democrat), John Fremont(Republican), and Millard Filmore(Whig party). Buchanan won the election.

Dred Scott

1857

The Decision of the Dred Scott vs. Sanford increased the tension between the north and south because it declared that Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional which reopened the debate over slavery expansion.

House Divided Speech

1858

This was an address given by Abraham Lincoln after being accepted as the first Republican senator. This speech said that "a house divided will not stand". this speech increased tension between the north and south because it declared that only the federal government had the power to end slavery.

Lincoln Douglas Debate

Jul 21, 1858

This was a series of seven debates elects Abraham Lincoln (Republican) and Stephan Douglas (Democratic) over slavery and state rights. This event increased tension between the north and the south because the south felt betrayed by Lincoln because they felt he was an abolitionist and Douglas suggested the refusal of territories to grant slavery legal protection.

Harper's Ferry Raid

Oct 16, 1859

This was a raid in Harper Ferry, Virginia lead by John Brown against an army to start a revolt of enslaved people and to overall end slavery. This event increased the tension between the North and the South because it made John Brown a hero in the North and angered the people of the south.

Secession

1860

Because the south couldn't get the desire to preserve slavery in the south to begin to threaten to leave the union. This was one of the leading causes of the Civil War. This increased the tension between the north and the south and caused chaos within the union.

Election of 1860

Nov 6, 1860

This election included Abraham Lincoln (Republican), Stephan Douglas (Democrat), John Breckinridge (Democrat), and John Bell (union party). Abraham Lincoln became the first president to win an election as a republican.