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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement in 1820 that was between pro-slave states and anti-slave states in order to categorize Missouri as a slave state, and Maine as a free state, to maintain the balance of free states and slave states in the Senate. It is considered a major factor in bringing the United States to war with itself because it sectionalized the nation. It clearly marked the fact that the South and the North had very different goals. -
Tariff of Abominations
The Tariff of 1828 was a tax set on imported goods from Europe. Althogh the Northeastern factory owners liked this taiff because it encouraged Americans to buy their goods, the Southerenrs despised it and called it the Tariff of Abominations because they thoguht it would hurt their cotton trade with Britain. This was a factor that contributed to the Civil War because it showed that some things that were benefitial to the north, were disadvantageous to the South, it encouraged sectionalism. -
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Nat Turner's Rebellion
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Nat Turner's Rebellion
Also known as the South Hampton Insurrection, it was a slave rebellion in South Hampton, Virginia led by Nat Turner. The rebellion consisted of the rebels going from house to house killing all the whte people and freeing the slaves, it was stopped in Belmont Plantation on August the 23rd. This contributed to the Civil War because it showed that the slaves could express their suffering in violent ways and instead of trying to negotiate with them, the Southerners killed all the suspects. -
Texas Annexation
It was the incorporation of Texas as a state after its independence from Mexico. This contributed to the beginning of the Civil War because it supported Sectionalism by promoting a division in the Senate between making Oregon a free state or making Texas a slave state. -
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Mexican American War
This war was part of Zachary Taylors three part plan to gain control over California, Texas, and Mexico. The result of the war was that the USA gained control over Texas and California through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The gaining of this land raised questions about wether it should be slave territory or free territory, this would lead to another bloody conflict in the future. -
Compromise of 1850
This Compromise was made to settle disputes by accepting California as a free state, and allowing any new state to decide for themselves wether they wanted to accept slavery or not. Also, slavery wasn't abolished in Washington D.C., instead, slave trade was prohibitted in that area.The Fugitive Slave Act said that anyone who assisted a runaway slave could be fined or imprisoned. This contributed to the Civil War because many Northerners disliked the Fugitive Slave Act because it was unjust. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
This was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was very controversial in the South because it portrayed slavery as something brutal and cruel. This book contributed to the beggining of the Civil War, because it angered the Southerners by showing them how badly the Northerners viewed them. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act allowed states west of Missouri and Iowa (Kansas and Nebraska) to decide whether or not they wanted to allow slavery. This contributed to the Civil War because it angered the North since according to the Missouri Compromise those states should be free states -
Bleeding Kansas
Kansas declared itself a slave state, even thoguh many of its inhabitants disagreed with slavery. The abolitionists took up arms and adopted their own Constitution which banned slavery. Those who supported slavery in Kansas started attacking an antislavery stronghold, the federal troops arrived to stop these attacks. This contributed to the Civil WAr because it was a miniature example of what would happen later on between abolitionists and the supporters of slavery. -
Birth of the Republican Party
Otherwise known as the Grand Old Party, it was born when the Anti-slavery Whigs,democrats and the Free-Soilers combined. This was a party mostly supported by northerners. The Democrats became a party mostly supported by the Southerners. This contributed to the Civil War because it was a clear example of sectionalism, different political parties supporting different parts of the country with very different goals and ideas. -
Dred Scott vs. Sandford
Dred Scott was an enslaved African American, bought by a doctor. The doctor moved to different states, some of which were free. Scott brought a lawsuit because it was illegal to have slaves in free states. He did not win the case because according to the Supreme Court Justice, the Constitution protected slavery because no one could take a mans' property, including slaves. This contributed to the Civil War because some people were starting to realize that slaves not property. -
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
A series of debates in which challenged Douglas were the topic of discussion was slavery. This led to the Civil War because it changed some peoples minds about slaves being considered more human than property simply because it was said by an important Republican called Abraham Lincoln. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown, a northern abolitionist, led a raid into Harpers Ferry, Virginia, to take the weapons, in order to arm the slaves and make a revolt. TSlave supporters stopped this raid and hung Brown. Some northerners considered his actions to violent, while others saw him as a martyr. This contributed to the Civil War because the Southerners realized that the Northerners were establishing a conspiracy against them. -
Lincoln's Election
In the Election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln was nominated by the Republicans. He wanted to leave slavery alone where it existed, but to ban it in the territories. Due to the fact that the Democratic Party was so dvided, Lincoln won by a clear majority simply because he won in all the Northern States. This contributed to the Civil War because when Lincoln won, many Southern States began pondering the idea of seceding from the Union in order to preserve slavery.
