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constitution
What it was: Was a document explaning three seperate powers: Judicial,legeslative, and executive. It explained all of the powers and also it has amendments about powers and other things about the united states. Currently there are 27 amendments in our constitution.
Why it affectede the civil war: It had nothing included about african americans rights. It gave no rights to slaves or native americans and so many people in the north were mad about this. -
3/5 comprimise
What was it: It was put into the constitution to count slaves as people. What it said was that for every five slaves you had it counted as three people . This was for congressinal districts counting so that it would not be an unfair atvantedge because the south held many slaves.
How it affected the civil war: This was not a good thing to add to the constitution. It made it seem like african americans were not even people and I think for people who apposed slavery it fueled the fire to ending sla -
Bill of rights
The bill of rights were 10 amendments aded to the constitution and are probably the most important for citizens rights. It is still in our constitution today.
It did not at first apply to everyone though. It did not include the writes of african americans or native americans much like the constitution of that time. This angered antislavery people even more than the three fifths comprimise it was like a nail in the coffin that they had no rights. -
cotton gin
What is it: Was a machine used to easily and quickly seperate cotton fibers and their seeds. The first mechanicle cotton gin was made by an american man by the name of Eli Whiteney.
Why it contributed to the civil war: Because it made a bigger demand for cotton. It was eaisier to get it so people planted more in an area. Even though this machine made it eisier to produce cotton it made more slavery. Because it still had to be picked and that called for slaves. But it did take the slave work away -
industrial revolution
This was a time in history were making products by hand changed into making things by machines. This also changed useing wood to using coal and also a machine was made to spred seeds of any kind easier and mor quickly.
This machine contributed to more slavery. It was like that because now people could start large plantations quickly and they needed more hands to pick cotton from a larger area. This made more slaves and also changed way people thought about how to make even bigger plantations. -
states rights
What it was :States' rights in U.S. politics refers to political powers reserved for the U.S. state governments rather than the federal government according to the Tenth Amendment. This means that the states could have their own laws about some things but they still had to follow national laws.
Why it contributed: Lots of the states gave no rights to slaves. This was in some cases in states almost no rights to african americans. Many people argued becaause a state couldmake whatever law they wa -
The louisiana Purchase
What it was: Was a huge purchas of land that expanded the us greatly. It was purchesed for only 3 cents an acre. Total it cost 15 million dollars.
How it contributed: It made many more states. In congress there where half and half free states and slave states. The
adding of states that would be free or slave and is thier were to many on one side it would tip the balence of power. -
nationalisim
What it is: is focasing more on the people want. It makes countries stronger because this reprasents everyone within a nation. This focas on all people creats equal rights to make laws and other things to help a nation.
How it contributed: At first it did not include native or african americans. This ment they could not help the government or count as a whole person (see the 3/5s comprimise). This was angering slaves that they were not included and caused rebellions to rise up. -
Missouri comprimise
what it was:It was what said split the states evenly into slavery and none slavery states. Since it was split evenly the house would be even and thier would also be more slave and free states.
How it contributed: It made more slave states. This was more slavery and more revolting at this. Also their were still arguments about if the states should be the way they were. This created more arguing that was just because of states -
Doctrine of nulification
What it was: a legal theory that states can nullify or invalidate a law that seems unconstitutional. This is the states choice and not federal courts. So the state has all the power.
How it contributed:This said they could nullify any law that seemed unjust. This means that free statse could swich into slavery at any time. Also this made it so that after the civil war states may have had slavery. -
indian removal act
What it was: an act that fourced many native americans to move from where they were living by the states to an area where there were no states. It was bad because most of the native american nations did not sighn this and 3,000 died because they would not move.
Why it contributed to the civil war: It created more land which made more fighting over what the territory left would become slave states and free states. Also when the states were decided it made more slave states. -
Nat turners rebelion
What was it: It was a slave rebellion that took place at southhampton country, Virginia. It was a big revolt where slaves killed 55-65 white people. This was the biggest slave revolt ever in that time and many slaves were killed because of this.
How it contributed: Because the slaves relized they could revolt and make a difference. There were more slave revolts and also the south very harshly punished the slaves which made people who didn't want slavery get even madder. -
Mexican-American war
Was a war fought beetween america and mexico and went from 1846-1848. It bwas mostly because of texases recient annexxation whitch made it a state. This was because mexico thought that the land was still theirs. mexico lost and The us got more land and money.
How it contributed: It eventually made more states that could be slave states, So as always there was argun if they would be slave state or a free state. Also they captured more slaves. -
comprimise of 1850
What it was: was a Thing that spread out the new territorie that america got from the mexican american war. It didvided the states evenly again and it made everything even. It postponed the civil war by four years.
How it contribute: It was just saving america from boiling over. If this would have happend the states would have succeded and the war would have started. It still made both sides mad about the amount of land they had gotten. -
The underground railroad
WHat it was: It was a secret rout that would lead a slave into freedom which was canada or the far northern states. One of the most important people who helped this was Harriot Tubman who led more than 300 slaves to freedom.
How It contributed: It made southern states outraged. The nourth was letting the slaves go and the south wante their slaves. It made southrerners travle long distances to find their slaves. -
Uncle Tom's cabin
This was aq popular book about Slavery and what it was like in thoose days. It centers around an abolitionist and a slave. When this book came out it made people want to end slavery even more than before.
How it contributed: This made more abolitionists want slavery to end with more fource and also affected normal ctizens. This ment there were even more people who wanted it abolished. -
Kansas-Nebraska act
What it was: It repealed the missouri comprimise and introducced a new way to see if the state was slave or none. This was based on popular soverignority to decide what it was.
How it contributed It made more slave states. This also made fights within towns and cities and states. This ment that there were more slaves and arguments. -
dred scott decision
What it was: A man named dred scott sued a missouri man. This was because he was in freedom but it was not yet so eaisy. In the case the court said that since he was a slave he could not get a trial.
How it contributed: Many abolitionists were outraged. This was an unfair decission in a court. This also angered not so sure northerners were now starting to care about getting rid of slavery. -
John browns raid
What it was: was a slave revolt organized by an abolitionist named Johon Brown. This was the biggest one ever and the slaves captured a US arsenal. This ment that people were armed.
How it contributed: This was the last dtraw for for the south. They were getting really mad at the north because they had organized this. It was going to be up to the election to see what would be the fate of the south. -
election of 1860
What it was: was a presidential election year and it was the last thing before the civil war. It was going tyo be a changing point if a southern nomonie would have one because slavery could have easily had stayed. But abraham lincoln had won and the civil war started shortly after. How it contributd: it was a turning point. This was because if the south would have won there probably have had been no war but slavery would have stayed put. But since Abraham lincoln won the election it started.
