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This was a network of secret routes, places, and people that helped enslaved people in the American South escape to the North. It stood up to the problem of slavery which fueled the motives for the war.
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The United States gained new territory which raised tensions over slavery. The problem of slavery in states was left unresolved after the war. This war also nourished the ambitions of some military officers, including U.S. Grant and R.E. Lee.
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A package of five bills passed by Congress to settle disputes over slavery. It extended the use of slavery in the South while the North gained free states and prohibited slave trade in some places.
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Pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway enslaved people. Caused uprising in whether or not to return a slave if one was found which brought more attention to the issue of slavery.
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It is an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher. This was an important part of the national conversation about slavery and its expansion during the 1850s.
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A series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the legality of slavery. It was a conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery.
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A law that created two new territories and allowed popular sovereignty on slavery. It allowed the residents to decide whether it was a free or slave state. Many fights broke out over the decision.
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The issue of slavery and differing opinions cause a division in politics and the republican party was created.
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A violent attack on Senator Charles Sumner by Representative Preston Brooks in the Senate chamber. This was between two men who had very opposite and different opinions on slavery.
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A controversial legal document of the Kansas Territory. It was drafted by pro-slavery advocates and contained clauses protecting slaveholding and a bill of rights excluding free blacks. This added frictions leading to the war.
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Decade-long fight for freedom by a Black enslaved man named Dred Scott. It pointed everything wrong with slavery and caused some friction.
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A financial crisis caused by the declining international economy. The panic gave the south false hope and an overconfidence in their agrarian economy to be able to withstand a possible secession from the US since the south was hurt least in the panic.
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A clash of rivals over slavery. A series of seven political debates in 1858 Illinois senatorial campaign. They shared many ideas over slavery and giving their opinions probably causing emotions to stir and some wanting to rebel.
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An assault by an armed band of abolitionists led by John Brown on the federal armory located at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. This was a main catalyst leading to the war.
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One of the most pivotal presidential elections in American history. Abraham Lincoln was elected president. The election was a reflection that the Southern states have lost their influence and power and the first in the series of events that led to the Civil War.