-
Creation Of Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented tree cotton gin to make cotton production faster and more efficient. It increased the demand for slaves because cotton was easier to produce. -
Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of the territory of Louisiana from France in 1803. the Louisiana purchase expanded slavery which led to the civil war because slavery became more widespread. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a legislation that stopped northern from trying to outlaw slavery's expansion by making Missouri a slave state and Maine a free state. This made it harder for people to get rid of slavery because it made the amount of free states equal to the amount of slave states which made people postpone trying to make more laws about slavery. -
Period: to
American Industrial Revolution
This was a period in which there was a change in how things were produced. It made it easier to transport people through states and in slavery. So it increased the transportation and trade of slaves. -
Period: to
The Second Great Awakening
The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival in the United States. Which spread religion through big group gatherings and preaching, it sparked many reform movements.It inspired many to oppose slavery which created conflict and tension. This group began to grow and the belief that slavery was wrong grew more popular, -
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
It was a rebellion of enslaved people in Virginia in August 1831 which was led by Nat Turner. They killed around 60 people who were mostly white. This made white people more scared of enslaved people and furthered the belief that they were violent and did not belong with white people. It also changed many people’s opinions on slavery, people who were previously against slavery saw this and changed their minds. -
Period: to
Nullification Crisis
The nullification crisis was a crisis during 's presidency which involved a confrontation between South Carolina and the federal government. It “set the stage for the battle between Unionism and state's rights, which eventually led to the Civil War.”. This crisis showed how bad things could go if the north and south were so divided. -
Period: to
Mexican American War
When Americans wanted to claim a part of Mexico (present day Texas), Mexico did not want to give it up which led to an armed battle between the US and Mexico. This created more tension between the free states and the slave states which eventually led to the civil war. -
Period: to
California Gold Rush
Gold was discovered in the west coast of the United States, many people rushed to California in an attempt to strike it rich. The quick increase in population led to California quickly becoming its own state. California becoming a state had an impact on the spreading of slavery, California was left eith the decision to become a free state or a slave state, when it chose to be a free state it offset the balance between free and slave states whihc kickstarted the civil war. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 allowed California to be a free state and when the New Mexico Territory and Utah Territory became states they got to decide whether or not they were going to be a free state or a slave state. People had differing opinions on whether slavery should or shouldn’t be illegal so they all wanted these states to agree with them so they could have their way. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” in 1852. It was written about an enslaved person and it described the horrors of slavery and the injustices faced by slaves. This changed people’s opinions on slavery and showed them that African americans were just as capable of anything as a white person. This put more people against slavery which increased the tension between slave states and free states. -
Frederick Douglass gives July 4th Speech
Frederick Douglass delivered a speech on July 5th about what July 4th is to slaves. In this speech he explained the horrors of slavery. This changed many peoples opinions on slavery, he convinced them that slavery is wrong and it made abolition more acceptable to white people in the north. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act reversed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories that let the citizens decide whether the states would be slave states or free slaves. It also was the cause of the violent protest known as Bleeding Kansas as proslavery and antislavery activists flooded into the territories in attempt to vote. -
Period: to
Bleeding Kansas
It was a series of violent confrontations in Kansas Territory between 1854 and 1859. It developed from the debate over the legality of slavery in Kansas territory. This quickly became violent and showed people the severity of this disagreement. It became clear that a decision on slavery needed to be made fast. -
Attack on Charles Sumner
Preston Brooks, a representative from South Carolina, used a walking cane to attack Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist from Massachusetts. This showed people how serious this debate was and how it needed to be acted upon quickly before these attacks escalated. These attacks all created more tension between abolitionists and pro-slavery activists. -
Dred Scott v Sanford
The court had to decide if Dred Scott, an African American born into slavery, could be a citizen. But the court decided that Scott was not able to become a citizen because that would be taking away property of citizens which is unconstitutional. This made many people very angry because they believed that people should not be considered property, it also meant that the laws other states had put in place that state that everyone is free within the state borders are unconstitutional. -
Raid on Harpers Ferry
An abolitionist named John Brown lead a small group on a revolt against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to start a revolt of enslaved people and destroy slavery. This was yet another violent attack caused by the debate on whether or not slaver should be legal. All of these violent attacks slowly led to the beginning of the civil war. -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election of 1860, and had more electoral and popular votes than any other candidate. This led to the civil war because he opposed slavery and wanted to get rid of it. But many states still wanted to be slave states. But he outlawed the expansion of slavery and eventually banned it in the United States. -
Period: to
Southern Secession
Southern states seceded from the union to protect their states' rights, like their choice of whether slavery is legal in their state or not. Southern states believed that a Republican government would not honor states' rights. So they decided to Secede because since their economy was based of off cotton, ending slavery would be very bad for the southern economy. -
Shots fired at Ft. Sumter
This was the official start of fighting in the American Civil War. Union troops (northern troops) stationed at Ft. Sumter in South Carolina were attacked by the South Carolina militia. Union troops lost and surrendered the fort to the Confederate militia. Unlike previous acts of violence, this was the first time violence broke out between organized military troops. Fighting in the Civil War would continue for 4 more years after this event.