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Missouri Compromise
Making Missouri a slave state and Maine a free state was a compromise that was trying to create a balance, but this was only causing a divided nation. This compromise was only delaying the inevitable war that was uprising between the north and south. -
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Westward Expansion Leading to the Civil War
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Indian Removal Act
When the Indians were forced to move west, their old homeland was then open for use. The south expanded and brought their slavery with it. This gave to the proslavery side, while the antislavery side gained nothing. -
Manifest Destiany
Manifest Destiny simply caused the issue of slavery to grow. The expansion of territory, led to the expansion of either slave or non-slave states. -
Wilmot Proviso
Trying to eliminate slavery this law was made to ban slavery in any territory gained from the Mexican War. This enraged the North and South, causing conflict over the power of the Congress. -
California Gold Rush
The gold rush increased the pace of westward expansion tremendously. It brought over free slaves looking for a fortune, southerners who wanted to bring their slaves over, and the slaves that were eventually brought to work in the gold fields. Although, California was a free state, the southerners fought for their rights to bring their "property" with them. -
The Compromise of 1850
Making California a free state and bringing upon the Fugitive Slave Act, was a fire starter. This caused the northerners to have the duty to return runaway slaves back to the south. Obviously this was an issue for the abolitionist who wanted to free the slaves. Therefore this was a huge cause of the Civil War -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase represented the last of the land that was acquired from Mexico. The new U.S. land started up the north and south issues on slavery and eventually led to the Civil War. -
Kansas- Nebraska Act
This major shift in power was a turning point for many northerners because it allowed the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase territory after the Missouri Compromise to have slaves. This was the opposite defeated the purpose of the Missouri Compromise because it gave the south more power. -
Texas Secession Convention
Texas succeeded from the Federal Union and admitted to the Confederacy. The goal was to stay an enslaved state. Eventually, Texas was restored to the Union in 1870. -
Homestead Act
This act allowed people, including freed slaves to move westward and put in a claim for 160 acers of free land. Making it easier for slaves to go out and make a living for themselves. This was troubling for the southern states because it could potentially reduce the number of slaves, therefore a cause of the civil war.
