The Road to the Civil War

By 230637

  • Missouri Compromise

    North and south have heated debates over the growth of slavery. Henry Clay settled the debate by saying that Maine would be a free state and Arkansas would be a slave state.

  • Nullification Crisis

    Southern states felt tariffs were unfair. Vice President John C Calhoun said any state could nullify an unconstitutional federal law. The government denied South Carolina's argument. South Carolina threatened to secede.

  • Compromise of 1850

    After the Mexican war, congress had many heated debates as to whether the new territories would be free or slave states. Henry Clay proposed a compromise: California would be a free state, and congress would not pass laws banning slavery from the other territories.

  • Fugitive Slave Act

    The act permited the capture of runaway slaves. These laws set the stage for John Brown's raid and the Civil War.

  • Kansas-Nebraska Act

    The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. This is an example of popular sovereignty. The act served to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The north was against it, but it was supported by the south. The law was passed. Pro-slavery settlers won the election that decided whether or not slavery would be legal in the territories.

  • Bleeding Kansas

    5000 people from nearby pro-slavery Missouri came and voted for pro-slavery representatives in Kansas illegally. Anti-slavery opponents started their own government. This government was attacked by pro-slavery forces. To avenge this, extreme abolitionist John Brown murdered several pro-slavery supporters.

  • Dred Scott Decision

    Dred Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom. He argued that since he lived in a free state, he should have been emancipated. The Supreme Court declared the following:
    -Scott wasn't free based on his residence in Illinois or Wisconsin.
    -African Americans weren't US citizens.
    -Scott was the property of his owner, and property couldn't be taken without due process of law.

  • Attack on Harper's Ferry

    John Brown wanted to inspire slaves to fight for their freedom. He planned to capture the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, VA, to arm the slaves. Brown and his men were captured and ten were killed.