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Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel showcased the cruelty of slavery and stired up the Northern public. It pushed a lot of people toward the abolitionist movement, but in the South, it was seen as a smear campaign against their way of life. This made the two sides even more divided. -
Formation of the Republican Party (1854)
The Republican Party came together specifically to oppose the spread of slavery. It quickly became the main political party in the North, while the South saw it as a direct attack on their economy and way of life, especially as the party grew more powerful. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act (May 1854)
This law let the people in Kansas and Nebraska decide for themselves if they wanted slavery (called "popular sovereignty"). It repealed the Missouri Compromise and opened the door for slavery to spread, leading to violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, a conflict known as "Bloody Kansas." It really ramped up tensions over whether new states would allow slavery. -
Bloody Kansas (1854-1859)
In Kansas, violence broke out between settlers who were for and against slavery. The fighting was a preview of what was to come (Civil War), as it showed that people were willing to fight—and even die—over the issue of slavery. The North and South backed different sides in the conflict, making the national divide even worse. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident (May 1856)
After Northern Senator Charles Sumner gave a speech criticizing pro-slavery forces ("The Crime Against Kansas"), Southern Congressman Preston Brooks attacked him on the Senate floor, beating him with a cane while the other congresmen watched laughing. This violent act shocked the nation and showed how far apart the North and South had become, as both sides reacted very differently to the incident. The North was angry, while the South was proud and happy, they delivered houndreds of cane to him. -
Election of 1856 (November 1856)
This was the first election in which the new Republican Party ran a candidate. Although the Democrat James Buchanan won, the Republican John C. Frémont did well enough to scare the South, showing that the anti-slavery movement had serious political power in the North. -
Dred Scott Decision (March 1857)
The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, both free or enslaved, couldn’t be U.S. citizens and that Congress had no power to stop slavery in the territories. Dred Scott could not Sue because of this. This decision gave the South a big legal win but outraged the North, pushing the country closer to a breaking point as tensions rise. -
LeCompton Constitution (November 1857)
Although the majority of Kansas' people opposed slavery, pro-slavery organizations attempted to get Kansas to ratify a pro-slavery constitution and join the Union. This disagreement amplified the division between the North and South. Creating more tension than before. -
House Divided Speech (June 1858)
In a speech, Lincoln famously said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand," meaning the country couldn’t continue being half-slave and half-free. Southerners took this as a clear sign that Lincoln and the Republicans wanted to eventually end slavery, which deepened the South’s fears and hostility as it was considerd a threat to the way they lived their lives. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (August-October 1858)
These debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were over the issue of slavery in new territories. Lincoln argued against the spread of slavery, while Douglas defended popular sovereignty. The debates made Lincoln a national figure and made the North-South divide over slavery even more. After this speech, Stephen Douglas emphasized that the North "could" not enforce slavery laws, meaning they could still have free-slaves (Free Port Document) this runied Dougles political stance. -
John Brown’s Raid on Harper's Ferry (October 1859)
John Brown, an abolitionist, tried to start a slave rebellion by attacking the federal armory at Harper’s Ferry. While his raid failed, Southern people feared that even more Northerners would take violent action to end slavery. In the North, Brown was seen as a martyr, deepening the divide. -
John Brown
John Brown was a leader of Harpers Ferry. He was an abolitionist, he wanted to gather slaves to raid the Harpers Ferry and its armory, he was interviewed by a reporter and was asked a series of questions about why he was doing this, and his response was because it was service to God and it was moral right. He was seen as a martyr by the North a hero, while in the South he was seen as a terrorist trying to destoy their way of life. He was hanged as a result of this raid. -
Election of 1860 (November 1860)
Abraham Lincoln won the presidency without carrying a single Southern state, making the South feel like they had lost any say in the federal government. His victory was the last straw for many Southerners, who saw it as the beginning of the end for slavery. (The Constitutional Union Party, which consisted of conservative former Whigs, Know Nothings, and pro-Union Democrats nominated John Bell of Tennesse) -
Secession (December 1860–June 1861)
After Lincoln’s election, South Carolina and several other Southern states seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America. The North, under Lincoln, wasn’t willing to let them leave peacefully, which set the stage for war. The South thought if they succeeded then they could still have slaves. James L. Petigru responded to this saying that his state "was too small for a country and too large for an insane asylum." -
Establishing the Confederacy (1861)
Southern states that seceded established a new government, the Confederate States of America. This government was modeled on the U.S. Constitution and primarily focused on slavery, state sovereignty, and religion. It allowed slavery but prohibited international slave trade. It limited the President to one six-year term, the President line-item veto power, required a two-thirds vote of Congress to admit new states, and prohibited protective tariffs/government funding. President is Jefferson Davis -
Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address (March 1861)
In his speech, Lincoln tried to calm the South, saying he wouldn’t interfere with slavery where it already existed, but he also made it clear that secession was illegal. His firm stance on keeping the Union together made it clear that the conflict was growing.