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The Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented a machine that seperated seeds from cotton fibers, which immensly benefited the South. It reduced the amount of labor making it increadibly faster and cheaper than manually, but it came with a great impact, slavery drastically increased since soon cotton was in such high demands worldwide, southerners expanded their plantations meaning a huge purchase of slaves. This led to Civil war because it caused the need for more slaves and the issues between the North and South began. -
The Missouri Compromise
In 1820 Henry Clay made a compromise stating that Missouri would be a "pro-slavery" state and Maine a "free state" to keep the balance between the number of slave and free states. It specified that any new states North of the 36°30° parallel of the Louisiana Territory would be "free states".This will lead to Civil War because the agreement was temporary regarding only to the Lousiana Purchase and wouldn't apply to further western areas causing debates wether a state should be free or not. -
Nat Turner slave rebellion.
Slave Nat Turner led a rebellion into Southhampton V.A killing over 60 whites. Turner and his followers were captured and executed, but this event worried the white southerners and they began murdering blacks all over Southhampton County as a warning. This ocassion led to the Civil War because it was one of the largest slave rebellion to ever take part in the South and caused great fear and stricter slave codes, as well as the the division on the slavery perspective in the Americas. -
End of the Mexican War.
When the Mexican War came to an end the U.S gained a great amount of land, which meant that there would be debates about slavery being present in the new states. This will lead to Civil War beacuse as western territories contined to become part of the U.S, which most states, especially in the North wanted the states to be free, there would be a big difference between the balance of powers in free states and pro-slavery sates, causing to be numerous debates between the North and South. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the U.S congress as part of the Compromise of 1850 which was that free African Americans in the North who were escaped slaves had to be returned to their owners. This was a big win for the South and was a great influence to the Civil War because Northerners were forced to return slaves to the South, for a reward, if escaped. This Infuriated Northerners because it was allowing slavery into "free states", some Northerners were defiant and raised tensions. -
The publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin
A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin, was a bestseller of the 19th century, it was controversial from the start because it painted a pictue of what slavery really was for people who weren't aware about it before.This led to Civil War beacuse it opened the eyes of many ignorant people to what slaves faced day to day in the South depicting how violent owners were towards their slaves, the book fired up abolishionist and really motivated them to fight harder against slavery. -
"Bleeding Kansas"
Kansas Territory was debated on wether it should be free or a slave state, the way they would decide was by "popular sovereignty" but the votes were split half and half and created violent events. "Pro-slavery" setlers attacked the "anti-slavery" headquaters in Lawrence, soon a extreme abolitionist, John Brown, went to Kansas ,killed, and mutilated 5 "pro- slavery" settlers to get even. These violent actions in Kansas increased the hatred between the North and South that led to Civil War -
The Dred Scott vs. Sandford Case
Slave, Dred Scott, followed his master to Illinois where slavery was illegal, Scott then tried to sue his masters widow when he died because they kept him as a slave even though he was in "free- territory", but the court sided with the widow because a slave was property and wasn't a citizen therefore he could not sue. The desicion of the court declared that congress had no power to prohibit slavery in Federal areas and it intensified the division between the North and South leading to Civil War. -
The election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was elected as president in 1860, Lincoln and his political party wanted to abolish the expansion of slavery further more not actually take the slaves away from the Southerners in the moment, but the people from the South felt like they were going to be represented by someone who did not have the same mindset on slavery, and that Lincoln wanted to completely terminate it. Southerners were sure that there could be no understanding and unity with the North, this lead to Civil War. -
The Secession of The South.
When Lincoln was elected, soon South Carolina called a special meeting which voted to withdraw from the U.S. Afterwards 6 more Southern states secceded, they meet and made an anouncement that they were going to leave. The North was confused and unsettled, and President , James Buchnan, told congress that the states had no right to leave but he suggested that the goverment could not interfere, this action was the graetest influence that led to the Civil War.
