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Act of 1807
The Act of 1807 declared the abolition of International slave trade. If a slave owner was caught selling slaves (internationally), they would suffer the consequences. The south mostly disagreed with it because their economic status would go down while slaves prices went up. This divided the country into one part wanting international slavery and the other wanting to completely abolish it. -
Compromise of 1820 (A.K.A. Missouri Compromise)
The Missouri Compromise was created to restore the balance between the slave states and free states, with that in mind, this divided the country into two: Missouri and the south as slave states and Maine and the north as non-slave states. This caused tension in between the two which was one of the main causes of the Civil War. -
Nat Turners Rebellion
As a way to protect himself and his fellow slaves-and a sign from a solar eclipse-, Nat Turner led an uprise to kill white southern slave owners. White slave owners were terrified of this protest. As a result white southerners led to a new oppressive legislation denying the education, movement and assembly of slaves. This was one of the first significant steps towards the Civil War because it forced the nation to confront the reality slaves faced in a tyrannical world. -
Compromise of 1850
In the Compromise of 1850, California became a free state and there was no more slave trade in D.C even though slavery still persisted. Fugitive slaves in free states were caught and put back into slavery. This compromise led up to the Civil war because many new bills were instituted. In the end this compromise failed due to the Union gaining California as a free state and overturning the Missouri Compromise and overall leaving the issue of slavery still unsettled. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Nebraska-Kansas Act created popular sovereignty surrounding Kansas and Nebraskan territories which ultimately decided whether slavery was allowed or not.The major conflict with this act is pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups began to fight and argue what will happen in the future of these new territories.This act along with the Compromise of 1850 both repealed the Missouri Compromise.This was an important date which lead up to the Civl War because this was a preview to what is about to come. -
Abraham Lincoln elected presidential election of 1860
At this time, Abraham Lincoln and Stephan Douglas ran for president and argued mainly on what should happen with the unsolved slavery issue. Lincoln believed slavery was immoral, he said the infamous quote, "A house divided against itself cannot stand".Many southerns disagreed with his message but he still won the election.This impacted the Civil War greatly because it gave the Union a leg up and divided the country into Confederates and Yankees who either fought for slavery or against slavery. -
South Carolina secedes from the Union
Now, South Carolina decided to secede from the Union due to the refusal of free states to enforce the fugitive act, this triggered the Civil War to begin. Once the secession occurred, the first battle in Charleston, South Carolina happened where Confederates opened fire. The Union eventually won after a brutal 4 year war.
