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John Brown
Brown was born into a religious family in Torrington, Connecticut and moved to Ohio when he was 5. In the first 50 years of his life, Brown moved and settled in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New York. He was never finally successful, but he did continue to support the anti-slavery movements. In 1851, he participated in the Underground Railroad. His actions, when regarding anti-slavery movements, were significant because many Northern viewed him as a brave man; he inspired them. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
This book was written by Harriet Beecher after the Fugitive Slave Law was passed in 1850. This book tells a tale of slaves and what they went through. It talks about what life was like for a slave and how hard it was to be separated from their families. This contributed to the growing divided between the North and the South because the book made the Southerners angry and the Northerners had more cause to stop slavery; they were horrified. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
It was a bill made by Senator Stephen A. Douglas and he said that the areas west of Iowa and Missouri should be opened to settlement by the Americans. The bill created Kansas and Nebraska and it also said that the Missouri Compromise was void. This contributed to growing divide between the North and the South because, according to Douglas, the people, of that territory, would be able to decide whether slavery would be allowed or not; popular sovereignthy. -
Republican Party
This party was founded by anti-slavery activists and their first presidential candidate was Abraham Lincoln. The creation of this party increased tenstions between the North and the South because they opposed slavery and it created a political rival for the Southern Democrats. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
Senator Charles Sumner (MA), an abolitionist, made a speech that lasted 2 days where he blasted 3 colleagues. One of them was Senator Andrew P. Butler (SC) who was sick and old. Representative Preston Brooks wanted to defend his cousin and he went to the Senate chamber and attacked Sumner at his desk. He attacked Sumner with a cane that he used for injuries that he got in a duel. It increased tensions because the North saw it as an example of violent Southern behavior. A hero for the South. -
Election 1856
The candidates included Democratic nominee James Buchanan, Republican nominee John C. Fremont, and the Know-Nothings nominee Millard Fillmore. James Buchanan won the presidential election with 174 electoral votes. It increased tensions becuase Buchanan was not an effective leader and he did not unify the nation as an effective leader should. -
LeCompton Constitution
It was written by Southern pro-slavery advocates that wanted Kansas to be a slave state. It had clauses that protected slaveholding and a bill of rights where African Americas were not included. When presented to Congress, it is rejected and the Northern anti-slavery advocates write a new constitution where Kansas can be a free state; it was accepted. President Buchanan supported the constitution which led to the division of the Democratic Party; northern and souther. -
Dred Scott
Scott lived in Illinois, a free state, from 1833 to 1843 and, when he returned to Missouri he filed a suit for his freedom. He did this since he had lived in a free territory, he was a free man. The other issue was whether he was a citizen and whether he could sue. The Court ruled that Scott was not a free person because he was not a person but property. This increased tensions because slavery could still carry on in the North and it justified what the South believed in. -
House Divided Speech
Abraham Lincoln gave this speech, an acceptance speech, at the Illinoise Republican State Convention. That line was paraphrased from the Bible. In his speech, he said that "a house divded cannot stand," and then he said that the government cannot be half free or half slave; sooner or later it would be comptely free or filled with slavery. This did contrubute to the divide because it became prophetic as the southern states began to secede from the Union and then began a war. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
The debates that ensued between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas included the following issues: slavery v. free labor, popular sovereignty and the legal/political status of African Americans. This increased tensions because Douglass had said some things that not all Democrats agreed on and they split into Northern and Southern Democrats. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown and his band of abolitionists tried to steal weapons from the federal arsenal. They took some hostages, but people found out about the raid and then Brown and his men were surrounded. Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart took down the forces and Brown was captured. 10 of his men were killed. This contributed to the tensions between the North and the South because Southerners began to fear the possibilities of slave rebellions. -
Election 1860
The candidates were Republican nominee Abraham Lincoln, Democratic Party nominee Senator Stephen Douglas, Southern Democratic Party nominee John Breckinridge, and Constitutional Union party nominee John Bell. The main issue was slavery and states' rights. Abraham Lincoln became president because he won the electoral votes, 180, but he did not win the popular vote. This increased tensions because Lincoln was an anti-slavery supporter. It caused the 11 states to secede from the nation. -
Secession
The secession of 11 states began on December 20th, 1860 and went to June 8th, 1861. The South cut off all connections with the Union with the first 7 states setting up their government in Montgomery, Alabama; the other 4 states joined the Confederate States of America in 1861. There were with 21 Northern and border states left. They stayed with the Union but sent volunteers. It increased tensions because the Confederacy wanted the border states to secede, but they didn't want to. -
Bloody Kansas
This fight started because of whether Kansas would be admitted to the Union as a free state or a slave state; many thought that it would be free because it was up north. Both pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces went to Kansas to try influence decision making, but popular sovereignty led to physical fighting. Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state. It increased tentions because Kansas was admitted as a free state which threw off the balance of free and slave states. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
In his inaugural address, Lincoln said that he would not interfere in the areas where slavery already existed. Lincoln was trying to compromise with the South, but he did not want to make them angrier. He also said that the Union would take back federal property from the states that seceded; they would also collect taxes from those areas. This increased tensions because the Union would take back their federal property in the South. Fort Sumter was fired upon by the Confederates 6 weeks later.