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Civil War Causes
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Cotton Gin Invented
Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin revolutionized the cotton industry in the United States. Prior to his invention, farming cotton required hundreds of man-hours to separate the cottonseed from the raw cotton fibers. Simple seed-removing devices have been around for centuries, however, Eli Whitney's invention automated the seed separation process. His machine could generate up to fifty pounds of cleaned cotton daily, making cotton production profitable for the southern states. -
Missouri Compromise
Agreement put forward by Henry Clay that allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine to enter the Union as a free state. The Compromise also drew an imaginary line at 36 degrees 30 minutes north latitude, dividing the new Louisiana Territory into two areas, one north and one south. All of the Louisiana Territory north of this line was free territory, meaning that any territories that became states from this area would enable African-Americans to be free. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
A slave Nat Turner led a rebellion in Southhampton County, Virginia. Turner and a group of followers killed some sixty white men, women, and children . Turner and 16 of his conspirators were captured and executed, but the incident continued to haunt Southern whites. This lead to southerns tightening the reins on their slaves. -
Nullification Theory
Constitutional struggle between some states and President Andrew Jackson. The states didn't want to pay the protective tariff that Jackson wanted, and the states claimed the right to "nullify," or declare void the tariff. This would have meant that the states didn't have to pay the tariff. More importantly, it would have meant that the states would have had authority over the federal government in a basic economic matter like the tariff. The states involved withdrew their objection to the tariff -
Wilmot Proviso
Proposal brought forward by Pennsylvania Congressman David Wilmot that stipulated that none of the Mexican Cession territory would be allowed to permit slavery. Out of the arguments for this proviso came the Compromise of 1850. -
Fugitive Slave Act
In the Fugitive Slave Act, the federal government gave local authorities in both slave and free states the power to issue warrants to "remove" any black they thought to be an escaped slave. It also made it a federal crime to help a runaway slave. The act was rarely enforced in non-slave states, but in 1850 it was strengthened with higher fines and harsher punishments. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's best known novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin , changed forever how Americans viewed slavery, the system that treated people as property. It demanded that the United States deliver on the promise of freedom and equality, galvanized the abolition movement and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War. The book calls on us to confront the legacy of race relations in the U.S. as the title itself became a racial slur. -
Formation of the Republican Party
The Republican Party was formed in the 1850's by anti slavery activists and individuals who believed the government should grant western land to settlers free of charge. The Republican party was formerly the Whig Party. Their first meeting was July 6th, 1854 in Jackson, Michigan. They became a national party in 1856 when John C. Freedman was nominated for President. Abraham Lincoln was the first Republican President. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854, a federal law that stirred bitter controversy over slavery. It created the Kansas and Nebraska territories. Under the Missouri Compromise of 1820, this area was closed to slavery. However, to the outrage of abolitionists and others opposed to the extension of slavery, the Kansas-Nebraska Act stated that the Missouri Compromise was no longer in effect. The act provided that slavery could exist in any state created in the territories if the voters so decided. -
Caning of Charles Sumner
On May 19, 1856, Charles Sumner of Massachusetts had delivered a speech condemning those who proposed extending slavery into the Kansas territory. Three days after the speech was delivered Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina entered the Senate Chamber where he found Senator Sumner working at his desk. Brooks fiercely and repeatedly beat the senator on the head and shoulders with his cane, which finally broke into pieces from the strain. -
Dred Scott Decision
In Dred Scott vs. Sanford, Dred Scott sued Emerson’s estate for unlawfully detaining Dred Scott. Dred Scott vs. Sanford was heard in the Supreme Court of Missouri. The state Supreme Court in Dred Scott vs. Sanford ruled in favor of Sanford. The state ruled in favor of Sanford because the court found that slaves were not considered to be full citizens of the United States. Because of this, the legislation within the United States Constitution was not applicable. -
Freeport Doctrine
The Freeport Doctrine, proposed by Stephen Douglas in a speech at Freeport, Illinois in 1858, stated that prior to developing their state constitution, the people of a new territory could lawfully exclude slavery from existing in their territory. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown was devoted to abolishing slavery and in his final revolutionary act, he led 21 men on a raid in Harpers Ferry, Virgina and attacked a federal arsenal with a plan to arm slaves with weapons. His raid was unsuccessful when Robert E. Lee led local farmers and Marines to protect the arsenal. Brown and the remaining men that had not been killed during the figut, were captured, tried, and convicted of treason. -
Election of 1860
The 1860 election came at a time of national crisis, and brought Abraham Lincoln, with his known anti-slavery views, to the White House.The issue of secession was being talked about even before the 1860 election, and Lincoln's election intensified the move in the South to split with the Union. And when Lincoln was inaugurated on March 4, 1861, it seemed obvious that the nation was on a path to war. Indeed, the Civil War began the next month with the attack on Fort Sumter.
