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Causes of the Civil War
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Missouri Compromise
Since neither the north or the south wanted to have unequal votes in the senate, both sides got a new state. The south was given Missouri and the north was give Maine. A line was also drawn at 36.3 degrees of latitude to decide if future states were slave or free states. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The fugitive slave act required citizens to return runaway slaves. It forced people to look for runaways too. If you were caught helping a runaway then you could be fined and jailed. -
Compromise of 1850
As a compromise for California becoming a free state, the fugitive slave act was edited. This basically meant that run away slaves had to be returned or else there would be consequences. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book about a free man named Tom who was beaten to death since he didn't reveal the locations of runaways. This book held much controversy. THe south thought it was an inaccurate description of slave life. The north saw it as a real look into slavery. THey saw it not only as a problem for congress but a civil problem as well. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The northwestern portion of the Louisiana Purchase was a very large plot of land. Neither the north or the south wanted the other to get the votes from all of the settlers who lived there. Instead of giving it to one side, the colony was split into two parts, Kansas and Nebraska. Both of these states were then allowed to vote on slavery issues. This is called Popular sovereignty. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave who moved with his owner from the north to the south. When his owner died he was shipped back to live with his owner's wife. He said that he was a free man since he had lived in a state where slavery was illegal. After bring the case to court, the court ultimately decided that he was still a slave. This was seen as a major set-back for the north. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
John brown was an abolitionist who led a raid on an arsenal. He expected to raid the arsenal, and give the goods to slaves who aided so they could fight there way to freedom. His Idea didn't go to plan. He was hung for treason but remained the same with his ideas. This led the north to see hima sa hero. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was a major election. Since the north and the south were so divided they each had someone they were voting for. In the end Abraham Lincoln was elected. He was the main man for the north and in his term he passed laws about slavery. -
South Carolina Secedes
After Abraham Lincoln was elected, South Carolina saw what he was doing as a threat. They decided to secede or leave the union. THey were the first state to do so. They then formed the