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The Prelude to the Civil War
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The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was supposed to be a compromise between slavery and freedom. The states were divided into Free-States and Slave-States. After a lot of aggressive negotiations and debate between the two sides, Congress passed five acts, known as the Compromise of 1850. It was made illegal to help free slaves, people were also required to help search for runaway slaves as well. Although it was a Compromise, there were still those who wanted to fight against it and those who fought. -
The Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854
In 1854 Congress passed the Kansas Nebraska Act. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise, allowed for popular sovereignty, and created 2 new territories. This act started out as a push for westward expansion but David Atchison specifically wanted the bill to repeal the 1820 line. Stephen Douglas saw the railroad as the progression of civilization so he agreed. Douglas created his bill to be a peaceful settlement for the nation, but it ended up contributing to the prelude of the Civil War. -
1857
Dred Scott was born a slave in Verginia. Later because of the Missouri Compromise Dred was relocated to Missouri. In 1820, Dred Scott’s owner moved to Illinois and then to Wisconsin, both of these states were free-state territory. Because of this Scott argued for his freedom through a legal process and was granted his freedom. This decision was later reversed and Scott was enslaved. Scott kept fighting but in the end the courts did not respect black people because they were considered property. -
John Brown's raid on Harpers Fairy
John Brown was an abolitionist who was known for his raid on Harpers Fairy. On the night of Oct 16, 1859 Brown and his men raided the arsenal in Harpers Fairy, they rounded up hostages and freed some enslaved people. The news spread quickly and by morning Brown and his men were surrounded. In the morning Brown and his men were overran and Ten of them were killed including his two sons. Brown was after wards tried and hung. All this did was push even harder for a Civil War. -
The Election of 1860
With Abraham Lincoln running for president the democrats had never felt such a threat. Lincoln was strongly against slavery and did not want to watch America be divided. Fire-eaters set out to stop democrats from advertising for Douglas as president. In the end Abraham Lincoln won the election with 40% popularity and all of the northern stated besides New Jersey, thus becoming the 16th president of the U.S -
Works Cited
“Abraham Lincoln.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Jan. 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln.
“John Brown.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/John-Brown-American-abolitionist.
“The Kansas-Nebraska Act and Party Realignment (Article).” Khan Academy, Khan Academy, https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/civil-war-era/sectional-tension-1850s/a/the-kansas-nebraska-act. -
Works Cited
“The Supreme Court . The First Hundred Years . Landmark Cases . Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857): PBS.” The Supreme Court . The First Hundred Years . Landmark Cases . Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) | PBS, https://www.thirteen.org/wnet/supremecourt/antebellum/landmark_dred.html.
Www.cpsk12.Org. https://www.cpsk12.org/cms/lib/MO01909752/Centricity/Domain/3513/Civil%20War%20Essay%20Charts.pdf.