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The Constitution Made Slavery Legal
In the costitution it allowed for slave trade to continue until 1808 and it said that escaped slaves would have to be returned to their owner. This led to the CIVIL WAR because if the Constitution had banned slavery from the beginning none of the poblems dealing with slaves would have started. -
The Invention of the Cotton Gin
Before Eli Whitneys invention of the Cotton Gin slaves were not on high demand but beacuse the cotton gin made it easier for seeds to be picked out from the cotton, it caused plantation owners to require more slaves in order to make a bigger profit. This led to the CIVIL WAR beacuse the invention caused for slavery to grow which fed the tension between the north and south. -
The Missouri Compromise
After Missouri had enough people to be admitted as a state they wanted to be let in as a slave state but that would ruin the balance in the senate. As a solution Henry Clay came up with a compromise to let Missouri in as a slave state and Maine would enter as a free state. This led to CIVIL WAR beacuse it drew a line in the senate between the north and the south states -
End of the Mexican-American War
After the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed many northerners were not happy beacuse it brought an opportunity for the south to bring in more slave states that would unbalance the senate. This led to the CIVIL WAR beacuse new states are added in which brings trouble for both the senate and the people to decide if t should be a free state or slave state. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave act was was a law that would ensure that runaway slaves be returned to their owners if they escaped. The problem was that many of the northerners did not agree with the law so they chose to ignore it which aggrivated the southerners. This led to the CIVIL WAR because the south blamed the north that they were the reason slaves were not returning back. -
The Book "Uncle Tom's Cabin" is released
Harriet Beecher Stowe an anti-slavery abolitionist released a book named Uncle Tom's Cabin that became a hit in both the North and the South. The north became aware of the horrors the slaves had to deal with while in the south beleaved it to be based on lies. This book led to the CIVIL WAR beacuse it caused tensions to rise between the north and south on how they viewed slavery -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
After Kasas and Nebraska had enough people to be admitted as states, the question "will they be free or slave states?" rose. As a selution Stephen A. Douglas came up with "Popular Sovereignity" that would let the people vote, but that brought violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups. The most famous attack was at Pottawatomie creek where John Brown and his followers killed 5 pro-slavery settlers. This led to the CIVIL WAR because it was a miniature war between the people. -
The Caning of Senator Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner gave a famous speech know as "The Crime Against Kansas" where he attacked Andrew Butler with his words. Later on Butler's cousin Preston Brooks came and attacked Sumner with his cane. This event led to the CIVIL WAR because the horrors from the streets reached a space where negotiations was the answer and for volence to reach the senate, it showed that even the tension could not be remedied in a civilized fashion. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
The south still clung to hope that they would be able to come to and agreement with the north, but after Abraham Lincoln was elected president the south lost hope because they thought their slaves would be taken away from them. As a result South Carolina decided to secede from the nation and so other states began to follow. This led to the CIVIL WAR because the north wanted to gain back the south but the south refuced to come back after tasting a bit of freedom. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
After South Carolina seceded from the union they demanded that the north leave behind claims on Fort Sumter which was located near Charleston SC, but the north denied. The south then sorrounded the fort and started attacking. The north was greatly outnumbered so it surrendered by orders of Major Robert Anderson. And so the CIVIL WAR began.
