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Fugitive Slave Law
Congress passed a law that required citizens to help find fugitve slaves. Any free African Americans living in the north were sent to the south as slaves. This law applied to the whole U.S. This law was passed because the south was complaining that they still owned the slaves even if they had escaped north. This law was eventually repealed in 1864. It was a significant cause of the Civil War becaue the north disagreed with the law. It caused more termoile between the north and south. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin", a book about the horrors of slavery. The book was in the perspective of a slave. It helped paint a picture for the people in the north about how slaves were treated. This novel contributed to the start of the Civil War because it made abolitionists even more determined to promote their cause. -
Bleeding Kansas
The Kansas-Nebraska act caused the fighting in Kansas. Abolitionsits and those for slavery fought about whether Kansas should have slaves or not. Many families were split because of their strong political beliefs. People were murdered because of their side on slavery. This was a significant cause of the civil war because it was yet another issue on whether a state or territory should allow slaves or not. -
Dred Scott vs. Sandford
Dred Scott sued his owner, Sandford, for freedom. Scott was in the north and felt that he was a free man becuase he was no longer in a state that allowed slavery. The verdict stated that Dred Scott was still a slave because he was not a citizen, had no rights, and therfore could not sue in a federal court. This was significant to the cause of the Civil War because it frustrated the north. They believed that any slave that made it to a slaveless state should be considered a free man. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown, an aboltionist, and a group of his followers raided Harper's Ferry for guns. U.S. marines arrived and caught them in the act. John Brown was sentenced to death for treason. This was a significant cause of the civil war bcause an abolitionist was hanged. The north was angered and was upset with the way the situation was handeled. -
The Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860, beating John Breckinridge, a man for slavery. Lincoln wanted to completely abolish slavery because he felt it was wrong. This presidential election was the icing on the cake for causes of the Civil War. This is because Lincoln was set on stopping slavery, which did not favor the south.
