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What Caused the Civil War
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Texas Annexation
Texas Annexation was a series of events that led to Texas joining the United States as the 28th state December 29, 1845. annexation was a direct cause of the Mexican-American War and contributed to the section divide over slavery that led to the Civil War. Annexation made Mexico and Great Britain mad which led to a lot of tension between these countries. -
Mexican American War
Mexico considered the annexation of Texas as an act of war. In the fighting that followed, the mostly-volunteer United States military secured control of Mexico after a series of battles, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2, 1848. On the surface, the war’s outcome seemed like a bonanza for the United States. But the acquisition of so much territory with the issue of slavery unresolved lit the fuse that eventually set off the Civil War in 1861. -
Compromise of 1850
The ten-year armistice established by the compromise only pushed the nation further against slavery, making many in the South fear the end of slavery, and many in the North crave the end of slavery, the very issue which would push the South to secede after Abraham Lincoln’s election as president. This problem with the south wanting slavery an the North not led to the civil war. That is why the Compromise of 1850 played such a big part in the Civil War. -
Fugitive Slave Act
Enforcing the fugitive slave law put the federal government emphatically on the side of slavery over freedom, which hastened the collapse of the national political system, the rise of the antislavery Republican Party and the coming of the war. The Civil War began over one basic issue: Was slavery, the ownership of human beings. This act made such a big impact on how the North and the South acted against each other -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" Published
Stowe’s vivid characters and portrayal of their struggles opened reader’s eyes to the realities of slavery and the humanity of enslaved people. Stowe hoped the novel would build empathy for the characters and, in turn, for enslaved individuals. Stowe's candor on the controversial subject of slavery encouraged others to speak out, further eroding the already precarious relations between northern and southern states and advancing the nation's march toward Civil War. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
Known as the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the controversial bill raised the possibility that slavery could be extended into territories where it had once been banned. Its passage intensified the bitter debate over slavery in the United States, which would later explode into the Civil War. The conflicts that arose between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in the aftermath of the act's passage led to the period of violence known as Bleeding Kansas, and helped paved the way for the American Civil War. -
Pottawatomie Massacre
The fifth victim floated nearby as John Brown and his men washed blood from their swords in Pottawatomie Creek. Brown said that the killings had been committed in accordance to "God’s will," and that he wanted to "strike terror in the hearts of the pro slavery people." His killings would provoke fear and reprisals — pushing America one step closer to an all-out civil war. -
Dred Scott Decision
The decision horrified many people in the North. Abolitionists there continued their agitation against slavery. By convincing many Northerners that the South was determined to preserve and extend slavery, the Dred Scott decision served to widen the gap between Northern and Southern states. With the gap getting wider between both sides, it eventually led to the Civil War -
John brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
As a result of this judgment by New England intellectuals and the ensuing martyrdom of Brown in the North, many Southerners viewed the raid as a larger Northern scheme to directly attack the South, leading to increased sectional distrust and accelerating the approach of secession in 1861. Which eventually led to the Civil War -
Election of 1860
Lincoln was elected in 1860 and the reaction of the nation was swift and tragic. Southern states began to secede, removing themselves from the Union and forming the confederate states of America. By March 4th 1861, when the First Inaugural was delivered, the rebellion was in motion and the Civil War seemed inevitable.