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Fugitive Slave Act
This act mandated that slaves who fled to other states were obligated to be returned by those who found them. This caused even more tension in the slaves trying to become free and those trying to help them. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a set of 5 laws enacted to help minimize sectional strife. These included:
-Entering California as a free state
-New Mexico and Utah used popular sovereignty to decide thier opion on slavery.
-The Republic of Texas gave up lands that it claimed and received $10 million to pay its debt to Mexico
-The slave trade was abolished in the district of Columbia
-The Fugitive Slave act that caused federal officials who did not arrest runaways to pay a fine. -
The Underground Railroad
This vast network of people helped fugitive slaces escape to the free states. It was run by many different individuals and was a blatant disobedience of The Fugitive Slave Act. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe which accurately depicted the life of a slave. It was the best-selling novel of the 19th century. -
Formation of the Republican Party
The Republican Party was formed by the Northern Whigs in opposition to the Democratic Party. They were anti-slavery and wished to protect the North's views. The South became alarmed at a party blatantly against slavery. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed for popular soverignity in choosing whether to be free or slave states. This caused a greater uproar from both pro-slavery and anti-slavery individuals. -
Bleeding Kansas
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act, many were upset and reacted in violence especially in Kansas. Even in the Senate, Congressman Brooks attacked Senator Sumner with a cane after Sumner spoke out against southerners being responsible for the continued violence in Kansas. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott and his family were free slaves who moved to a state where slaves were considered property. He appealed the court, and they told him he was not entitled to the freedom he already had. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry was a white abolitionist's attempt to start an armed slave revolt, unfortunately it was stopped by Robert E. Lee who claimed Brown was "insane." -
Election of 1860
In the election of 1860, Abraham LIncoln was not included on the southern ballot, but was still able to win the election. This created a lot more tension than ever before and was a direct cause of the southern states seceding. -
The Most Significant
I believe the most influential event that led to the Civil War, besides the slavery issue in general, was the election of Abraham Lincoln. Before this point, there could have been a reconcilation, but after the southern states felt so excluded, they did not wish to be a part of the United States anymore.
