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Description:
The Mum Bett case was a landmark case won by an enslaved woman who sued her enslaver, arguing that slavery was illegal in Massachusetts due to the newly established state Constitution.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The Mum Bett case created tension due to the fact that it involved an enslaved person gaining freedom. She set a precedent that angered enslavers, which contributed to the start of the Civil War. -
Description:
The ⅗ Compromise was agreed upon during the drafting of the Constitution, and stated that enslaved people would be considered as ⅗ of a person for the purpose of representation in Congress.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The compromise increased the political influence of southern slave-holding states in Congress, which created tension between the North and the South due to the increased political power of slave-holding states, and these tensions eventually grew to the Civil War. -
Description:
The Northwest Ordinance was a piece of legislation that created a method for admitting new states into the Union and established rights for the people in those states.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The Northwest Ordinance notably prohibited slavery in admitted states, which set a precedent for slavery regulation in these new states. By prohibiting slavery in these areas, advocates for slavery disliked this act, which further increased tensions leading up to the Civil War. -
Description:
The cotton gin was a machine invented by Eli Whitney that separated debris from cotton. This invention revolutionized the production of cotton, as it sped up the process significantly.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The invention of the cotton gin prompted the need for more enslaved individuals due to the increased speed in production. This grew and expanded slavery throughout the south, provoking those who opposed slavery, which led to increased tension leading up the the War. -
Description:
The American Industrial Revolution was a period of major technological and societal innovation in the United States.
Contribution to the Civil War:
Industrialization furthered the division between the North and the South. The Northern economy began to be based on manufacturing, while the Southern economy remained based on farming, and by increasing this division, the tension between the North and South grew -
Description:
The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival movement in the United States that created numerous social reforms, including women’s rights and abolitionism.
Contribution to the Civil War:
By creating new social reforms, specifically relating to abolition, the Second Great Awakening escalated the issue of slavery. This occurred through the persuasion of people to oppose slavery, leading to a stronger abolitionist movement that increased tensions. -
Description:
The Louisiana Purchase was a major land deal where the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The purchased land eventually led to the creation of new states in the Union, but the North and the South disagreed about whether these new states should be considered free or slave states. This increased the dispute of slavery between the North and the South. -
Description:
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement regarding the admission of Missouri into the Union as a slave state. It allowed for Maine to be admitted as a free state, maintaining political balance in Congress.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The Missouri Compromise did not solve the issue of slavery, it simply pushed it off. By temporarily resolving the conflict, it did not address the wider issue of slavery, which led to the furthering of tensions between the North and South. -
Description:
Nat Turner’s rebellion was a revolt by enslaved people in Virginia. Nat Turner led other enslaved individuals to rebel, believing the only way to gain freedom was through violence.
Contribution to the Civil War:
Nat Turner’s rebellion caused many southerners to believe that enslaved people were dangerous and needed to be contained, arguing for stricter rules regarding slavery. This was strongly opposed by abolitionists, thus increasing tensions. -
Description:
The Mexican-American War was a conflict between the US and Mexico that resulted in the US gaining a large amount of western territory.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The new territories created debates between pro and anti slavery Americans regarding whether slavery should expand into these areas. This intensified tensions as the North and South fought over the balance of free and slave states. -
Description:
Dred Scott v. Sanford was a Supreme Court case where the Court ruled that African-Americans were not citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in new territories.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The decision angered northerners, as it gave the South more legal support for slavery. This deepened the divide between the regions, pushing the nation further toward conflict. -
Description:
The California Gold Rush began with the discovery of gold in California, which led to a large migration of people seeking fortune by finding gold.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The sudden population increase in California created a desire to join the Union as a state, which potentially threatened the balance of free and slave states. This frightened southerners, and increased tensions over the future of slavery in the US. -
Description:
The Compromise of 1850 was a set of laws that attempted to reduce tensions between free and slave states, as it admitted California as a free state and created stricter Fugitive Slave Laws to appease the South.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The Compromise angered both sides, as Northerners detested the Fugitive Slave Law, while Southerners were afraid that they would lose political influence. The agreement didn't resolve the deeper issue of slavery, thus leading to future conflict. -
Description:
Frederick Douglass, a prominent abolitionist born into slavery, delivered his speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July,” as it condemned the hypocrisy of celebrating freedom in a country with slavery.
Contribution to the Civil War:
Douglass’s speech highlighted the contradiction of slavery in a free country. It helped expand the abolitionist movement in the North and the growing fear of the anti-slavery sentiment in the South. -
Description:
The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The Act created much debate over slavery in the territories and led to violent conflict in some places. It further divided the North and South and showed that compromising on slavery was not a sustainable option. -
Description:
“Bleeding Kansas” is the name given to the violent actions between pro and anti slavery settlers in Kansas following the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The violence in Kansas showed that popular sovereignty could not peacefully decide the issue of slavery. It increased distrust between the North and the South and increased national tensions over slavery even more. -
Description:
Senator Charles Sumner was brutally beaten on the Senate floor by fellow Congressman Preston Brooks after giving an anti-slavery speech.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The North was appalled by the attack while the South praised it. This intensified anger between the two regions, and made political compromise harder to achieve. -
Description:
The raid on Harpers Ferry was led by abolitionist John Brown, and was an attempt to start a slave revolt, but ultimately failed leading to Brown’s capture and execution.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The raid was frightening for Southerners, as they thought it was proof that the North supported violent slave uprisings. Brown became a martyr in the North, further polarizing the two regions. -
Description:
The Election of 1860 was an important election won by Abraham Lincoln, who ran on a platform that opposed the expansion of slavery.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The election caused the South to view Lincoln as a threat to slavery and the southern way of life. His election caused several Southern states to begin planning to secede. -
Description:
The Southern Secession occurred when eleven Southern states seceded from the Union, beginning with South Carolina in December 1860.
Contribution to the Civil War:
The secession made the war almost inevitable, as the Union government refused to recognize the legitimacy of the secession. The deep division over the issue of slavery finally broke the country apart. -
Description:
This was the official start of the fighting in the American Civil War. Union troops (Northern troops) stationed at Fort Sumter in South Carolina were attacked by the South Carolina militia. Union lost and surrendered the fort to the Confederate militia.
Contribution to the Civil War:
Unlike previous acts of violence, this was the first time violence broke out between organized military units. Fighting in the Civil War would continue for 4 more years after this event.