8 events that lead to the civil war

  • compromise of 1850

    compromise of 1850
    texas was paid 10m to scale back land claims
    Washington dc was required to end the slave trade in the city but slavery was still legal
    California was admitted as a free state
    stricter slave fugitive act was acted into place
  • fugitive slave act of 1850

    fugitive slave act of 1850
    stated all fugitive slaves must be returned to their owners.
    anyone caught protecting, feeding, giving shelter to a runaway slave could get 6 months in prison.
    north felt this was the south expanding power and reach of slavery.
    congress made it illegal to assist a fugitive slave.
  • uncle toms cabin

    uncle toms cabin
    Harriet Beecher Stowe's book sells 300,000 copies in the first year, over 2,000,000 copies within 5 years.
    about an old slave treated horribly by his master.
    many joined the abolitionist movement after reading.
  • Kansas Nebraska act

    Kansas Nebraska act
    Kansas Nebraska act allowed each territory to decide the issue of slavery based on popular sovereignty, but kanas with slavery would violate the Missouri compromise. "bleeding Kansas is torn in half fro years between pro-slavery and anti-slavery
  • Dred Scott decision

    Dred Scott decision
    The Supreme court ruled that Dred Scott was property and not a citizen, therefore he had no right to sue. The ruling stated that the Missouri compromise saying slavery was illegal in the northern states was unconstitutional
  • Harpers ferry

    Harpers ferry
    brown leads a group of men to attack a weapons arsenal at Harper's ferry. the goal is to gain control of weapons to lead a slave revolt.
    The raid failed and Brown was captured and hanged for treason. brown becomes a martyr in the north and the south sees to what extent the north will do to end slavery
  • lincolns election

    lincolns election
    lincoln was the only candidate against slavery, he won, but it showed the country was divided, and no southern states voted for lincoln. on the basis of states' rights and a too-powerful federal government, the south seceded. lincoln's election pushed the nation to the brink of war.
  • attack on fort Sumter

    attack on fort Sumter
    Ft. Sumter was a federal fort in South Carolina, the South fired on it as the union tried to resupply it. fort nearly out of all supplies and badly outnumbered it surrendered to the southern army, then lincoln called for 75,000 volunteers and the war started.