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What Happened Before The Civil War
The Union was being torn apart between the North and South. They fought of the discussion of slavery for years. Congress tried to solve this problem many times, but they just couldn't get everyone happy. This problem then turned into a war called the Civil War. -
The Missouri Compromise of 1820
The North and South were debating in Missouri should be a free state for not. The Congress didn't want to have the risk of the Union splitting, so they finally agreed on a solution. The Compromise stated that Main would be a free state and Missouri as a slave state. They also divided the rest of Louisiana territory into North and South. The people in the South did not like this plan because they thought the states were dividing even more. The Northerners didn't like how it incorporated slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay had an idea of how to end the deadlock over California. He thought of something that would please everyone. California would join the Union as a free state. New Mexico and Utah territories to decide whether to allow slavery. He also ended the slave trade in Washington, D.C. Finally, Clay's plan called for passage of a strong fugitive slave law. Even though this compromise worked for a while, people still didn't like this compromise. The North and South still had tension. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854, Senator Stephen Douglas traduced a bill in Congress that aroused an uproar. Douglas wanted to get a railroad built to California. So, they thought of a solution to this problem. The Kansas-Nebraska Act. This act created the Kansas and Nebraska territories and abolished the Missouri Compromise. Northerners were still haunted by visions of slavery marching across the plains. They were still unsure of this act. -
Dred Scott Case
A slave named Dred Scott went to court to win his freedom, after a visit to a free slave state. Chief Justice Taney said African Americans could never be citizens of the United States and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. Scott's argument was rejected. The northerners were stunned by the Courts ruling. The New York Tribune called the decision a “wicked and false judgment.” This increased the tension between the North and South even more. -
Election of 1860
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln is elected president. With his opposition divided three ways, Lincoln sailed to victory. South Carolina, delegates attending a state convention voted that same day—December 20, 1860—to leave the Union. On March 4th, 1861, Lincoln became president of the not-so-united United States. He then appealed to the rebellious states to return in peace. On April 12th, 1861, they opened fire on Fort Sumter, a federal fort in Charleston Harbor. The Civil War had begun. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
Lincoln became president of the not-so-united United States. His belief said that secession was both wrong and unconstitutional. He then told rebellious states to return in peace. Confederates in Charleston, South Carolina, forced the issue and they opened fire on Fort Sumter, a federal fort in Charleston Harbor. The defenders of the fort finally put up the white flag of surrender. This made the North mad and thought that the Union was going to tear apart. This was the start of the Civil War.
