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The Invention of the Cotton Gin
The Cotton Gin was invented by Eli Whitney. This machine separates the cotton fibers from the seeds quickly. This increased the amount of cotton shirts across the United States. The south believed that they need more slaves because of this invention, but the North planned on the work mostly being in the factories. The South wants more slaves so that they can pick the cotton; it would be more sufficient. This increased the tension between North and South because the North wants to end slavery. -
Missouri Compromise
Before Missouri was excepted as a slave state, the US free and slave states were even. When Missouri was excepted, we had to add Maine as a free state to make it even once again. We then later on created a line called the 36'30 line. Any state above this line, apart from Missouri, must be a free state. This drew a line between the North and South. The North didn't believe in slavery so there for they didn't get along with the South, and vice versa. -
Annexation of Texas
Texas fought a war with Mexico to become Independent. This is what lead to Texas being named the "Lone Star State". Texas wants to become a part of the United States, but the United States denied the application as a state because there were too many slave states already. But soon Texas is accepted as a new state via joint resolution. North found this to be unfair, sneaky, "barely legal". This helped lead up to the Civil war because the North and South couldn't come to an agreement. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This Act states that slaves can not become free by escaping to a free state. It also states that all runaway slaves must be returned to the state they escaped. This Act reinforces the Fugitive Clause in the Constitution. This act soon leads to the South coming up to the North and capturing free slaves and selling them in the South. The North took action by building several Underground Railroads. This event created tension because the North was interferring with the South. -
Slave Power Conspiracy
The North believed that slavery was economically inefficient and that this created a powerful slaveholding class in the South. The Southern plantation owners used their power, property, and slaves to get political power and control of the government. This event caused a split in the government. Abraham Lincoln believed that many of the Reps for the South were all apart of a plot to nationalize slavery, proven by the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision of 1857. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act / Bleeding Kansas
This is the Act that raised the 36'30 line to increase the areas of slave states. The North felt the law as a concession to the slave power of the South. This increased conflicts between the North and South because North doesn't want slaves. This act later on leads to Bleeding Kansas where thousands of Northerns moved to Kansas to secure it as a free state and thousands of Southerns moved to secure it as a slave state. Voilent events occured, but in the end Kansas was entered as a free state. -
Somner & Brooks
Sumner was a Representative for Massachusetts who didn't believe in slavery. Brooks was pro-slavery who was a representative for South Carolina. Sumner was making an anti-slavery argument; Brooks became aghgrivated and attacked Sumner. Sumner suffered major head injuries; he was close to a coma. Brooks was kicked out of congress ffor hiis actions, but them was voted back a year later by South Carolina. This is a great example of how the North and the South did not get along.
