-
First slaves brought to the Americas
The first 20 African people to reach the colonies arrived in Virginia, near Jamestown, in 1619, brought by the British who had seized them from a Portuguese slave ship that they had captured. This was the start of tensions between the North and the South as well as the start of racially separated slavery in the united states. -
Article VI of the 1787 Northwest Ordinance
Under the ordinance, slavery was forever outlawed from the lands of the Northwest Territory, which was north and west of the Ohio River. This created tensions between the north and south because according to the article, " Many took it to mean that the founders intended for slavery to die out," which would have threatened the economy, and many people's livelihood. -
Period: to
The Haitian Revolution
The Haitian Revolution was and still is largely considered to be the largest and most successful slave rebellion in the world. It was the first successful slave rebellion so naturally, it created shockwaves of new fears of rebellion all around the world. This increased tensions because showed that is possible for slaves to revolt and win, it gave those enslaved a new vigor to escape their bonds. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin.
After the invention of the cotton gin, it became considerably easier to farm cotton causing a rapid expansion of plantation slavery. People began to explore the advantages of having slaves and farming cotton, especially because it was so profitable. This created tensions between the North and the South because it caused the Southern economy to become reliant on slaves and their labor. -
Second Continental Congress Ends Slave Trade
In 1801 The Second Continental Congress banned the transatlantic slave trade, according to history.com, "with a self-sustaining population of over four million enslaved people in the South, some Southern congressmen joined with the North in voting to abolish the African slave trade." which increased tensions between the North and the South as the South became more reliant on slavery. -
Ohio’s “Black Laws”
Ohio's "Black Laws" were created to keep African-Americans out of the state. They were used to limit what black people could do and promote segregation. "These laws often banned African American voting, denied black Americans access to public schools, and made it impossible for non-whites to serve on juries and in local militias, among a host of other restrictions and obstacles." This furthered tensions between the North and the South because it created a lot of racial tension between everyone. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase of 1803 was a purchase of territory from France by the United States, which more than doubled the size of the territory. This increased tensions because people were conflicted on whether the new territory would be slave or free states because the new territory was disrupting the already delicate balance of power. -
Period: to
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. This increased tensions because it made the divide between the Northern and the Southern states more apparent than ever. His election caused seven southern states to secede and form the Confederate States of America. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise that was enacted after Missouri wanted to be admitted into the union as a slave state. This increased tensions because the admission of another slave state in the union would have thrown off the balance of 11 slave states to 11 free so they created a compromise that would have admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine and a free state. -
Vesey Rebellion
The Vesey Rebellion was a slave rebellion that was allegedly planned by Denmark Vesey, a slave who won the lottery and bought his freedom but could not afford that of his wife or children. This increased tensions because it reopened the debate about slavery and increased fears of slave rebellion. -
Andrew Jackson becomes President
During Andrew Jackson's terms as president, he destroyed the Second Bank of the United States, founded the Democratic Party, and instituted policies that resulted in the forced migration of Native Americans. This increased tensions because he strongly supported slavery. -
The Whig party
The Whig Party was a political party active between the late 1830s and the early 1850s. It was formed by Henry Clay and increased tensions because it opposed president Andrew Jackson, avoided taking any position on slavery, and instead sought internal improvements. -
The California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush began in 1848 when gold was found at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. This increased tensions between the North and the South because the news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the United States and abroad. -
1848 Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo
The 1848 Treaty of Guadeloupe Hidalgo ended the war between the United States and Mexico. It caused Mexico to give up over 525,000 square miles of territory. This increased tensions because it once again reopened the slavery debate. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a compromise that helped to deal with the issues of slavery and expansion. This increased tensions because It made it so that California would be admitted as a free state and the slave trade would be abolished in Washington, D.C, it also made it easier for slave owners to recover runways. -
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 went hand and hand with the Compromise of 1850. This increased tensions because the act stated that slaves had to be returned to their owners, even if they had escaped to a free state, it made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves. It gave the government far more power over the people and it helped to foster rebellion over the pro-slavery cause. -
UNCLE TOM’S CABIN
UNCLE TOM’S CABIN is a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It details how bad slavery really is, causing people to feel more resolved than ever about abolition. This increased tensions because it created a bigger divide between the North and the South. -
The Republican party
The election of 1856 was the debut of the newly minted republican party, which was controversial due to their candidate's antislavery credentials. This increased tensions because the Republican party was the first antislavery party and a sectional party that sought to protect the interests of the North. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed slavery in the remaining areas of the Louisiana purchase. This increased tensions because it allowed people from the Kansas and Nebraska area to decide whether they would allow slavery or not. -
Period: to
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent confrontations or the 'mini civil war' that occurred after the Kansa-Nebraska act was passed. This increase tensions because it significantly shaped American politics in the pro/anti-slavery debate. -
The 1856 election
The 1856 election was a presidential election between James Buchanan, John C. Fremon, and Millard Fillmore. This event increased tensions because showed that the Republican Party was a major force in the North and that slavery was dividing the nation along sectional lines. -
SCOTT V. SANDFORD
Dred Scott was an enslaved African-American who unsuccessfully sued the United States government for his freedom. The Dred Scott decision as it is popularly known ruled that black Americans could not be citizens of the United States and therefore had no right to sue the government. This increased tensions because it made legislation such as the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. -
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
According to Wikipedia, John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was an effort to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states and to take over the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. This increased tensions because those in the South were angry at Brown's actions and surprised by Northern sympathy garnered by his death. -
South Carolina Seceded from the Union
South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union. State by state, conventions were held, and the Confederacy was formed. This increased tensions because it was basically South Carolina declaring that they did not want to part of the United States anymore. -
The Battle at Fort Sumter
After South Carolina had seceded from the union they bombarded fort Sumter. The Battle at Fort Sumter was the Breaking point in the tensions that had been slowly building between the North and South for years. It was the start of the civil war. -
Sources
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-fscj-africanamericanhistory/chapter/the-sectional-crisis/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-fscj-africanamericanhistory/chapter/the-crisis-joined/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-fscj-africanamericanhistory/chapter/free-soil-free-labor-free-men/
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/atd-fscj-africanamericanhistory/chapter/from-sectional-crisis-to-national-crisis/
https://www.history.com
https://www.shmoop.com/study-guides/history/causes-of-civil-war/