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Conflicts Leading up to the American Civil War
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DeBow's Review
DeBow's Review was the leading newspaper in the South after it was founded by James D.B. DeBow. The newspaper strongly promoted secession and advised the South against being reliant on the North economically. -
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Mexican-American War
Americas victory of the Mexican-American War added territory for several states to America. The conflict of whether these states should be free or slave-holding. In 1847 Massachusets Legislature accused the war as being a push to extend slavery in America. -
Oregon Treaty
The Oregon Treaty settled the boundry dispute with Great Britain by setting the boundy line between the U.S. and British North America at the 49th parallel of North Latitude. However, Northern Democrats complained about this treaty because they claimed it sacrificed Northern expansion while Southern expansion was supported by the Mexican-American War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. -
Lemmon v. New York
Jonathon Lemmon planned on transporting 8 slaves from Virginia to Texas by taking a boat from New York to Texas. The slaves were kept in a boarding house while waiting for the boat but they were discovered by Louis Napoleon. Judge Paine of the Superior Court freed the slaves under the New York law "No person held as a slave shall be imported, introduced, or brought into this state on any pretense whatever. Every such person shall be free." The governor of Virginia denounced Paines decision. -
William Walker Captures Baja California
William Walker and 45 men captured the captial of Baja California, La Paz. Walker declared that La Paz was the capital of the Republic of Lower California and put the region under the laws of Louisiana Which allowed slavery. Norhtern states saw this as an attempt to expand slave territory but Walker was forced to retreat by Mexican forces a few months later. -
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Bleeding Kansas
The passing of the Kansas-Nebraska act allowed the people of the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide if they would be free or slave-holding territories. This choice caused pro and anti slavery citizens to engage in multiple bloody fights to decide the position of the territory on the topic of slavery. -
Pottawatomie Massacre
A major event during "Bleeding Kansas" in which John Brown, famous abolitionist who used violence to fight slavery, and a group of followers attacked and killed 5 pro-slavery people along the Pottawatomie Creek. The attack increased tensions in Kansas and amongst all pro and anti-slavery citizens of the U.S. -
The Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown, a famous abolitionist, attacked Harper's Ferry with a group of followers and seized the federal arsenal that was stored there. The party was shut down by a group of U.S. marines led by Robert E. Lee and John Brown was tried for treason. Evidence shows that Brown planned on arming a slave insurrection with the weapons from the arsenal. -
The South's Secession
An 1860 Secession Convention in South Carolina voted to break its contract with the United States and leave the Union. South Carolina sent emmisaries to other slave-holding states urging them to follow in South Carolina's footsteps and secede from the United States and form a Southern Confederacy. 6 other states followed South Carolina in Seceding. In the future, even more would follow and join the Confederacy. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
Confederate forces in Charleston demanded the surrender of the fort located in Charleston, South Carolina. Major Robert Anderson refused and on April 2nd 1861 the Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter. Anderson surrendered the following day and the Confederacy took the fort. This fight was the start of the Civil War.
