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Causes of The Civil War
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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was created when Maine applied for statehood in 1820. This compromise was created by Henry Clay and stated that Maine would enter as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. There would also be a line at 36˚30 that would allow slaves on the south side and would forbid them on the other side. This compromise would later cause many problems as it was too hard to follow but would keep peace for about 30 years. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
On August 21, Nat Turner and a group of slaves traveled around to nearby plantations killing as many white people as they could find. Nat Turner had witnessed a solar eclipse a few days earlier which he had interpreted as a message from god. His rebellion killed 57 white people, mostly children, before it was stopped by the local militia. Nat Turner was later found in a swamp and killed but he had lived a meaningful life. -
Slavery
The United States was in danger of separating over slavery in the 19th century. The North was against slavery as they had large factories and needed fewer workers than the South’s plantations. The South was for slavery because they had large plantations and needed many hands for a cheap price. This slavery controversy would heat up so much that it would cause Southern states to secede and a bloody and horrible war to occur. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott, a slave, claimed that because his master lived in the Illinois Territory where slavery was illegal he and his family were entitled to freedom. His case traveled to many courts including the Supreme Court before a final verdict was made. Slaves were not even citizens of the United States, had no rights and were not able to go to court. Also, they declared that slavery could not be forbidden in the territories and that Dred Scott was still a slave. -
John Brown Rebellion
On October 16, 1859 John Brown, a famous abolitionist along with a small group of supporters, and his sons raided Harper’s Fairy, a Confederate Arsenal as part of a plan to launch a huge slave revolt. The town and arsenal were taken quickly but John Brown did not put up any resistance to secure the town, instead he defended the arsenal. The arsenal was quickly surrounded by Marines and the towns Militia. The rebellion would fail and John Brown would be hanged but he had made his mark. -
Election of 1860
The Election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was considered, "The straw that broke the camel’s back." Lincoln won the Election without winning a single Southern state as the Democratic Party had many candidates. This was a large cause of the Civil War because the Southerners feared that Lincoln would take away their rights to own slaves. They responded to this by seceding from the Union and forming their own country, The Confederate States of America. -
Secession
After the election of Abraham Lincoln, on December 24, 1860 South Carolina seceded from the Union to preserve their rights to own slaves. Ten other states would also secede forming their own country called the Confederate States of America. They would write a constitution, elect a president and build a militia but they would not be accepted as an actual country. This showed that the South would protect slavery if it meant making their own country and going to war.
