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Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin while working on the Georgia plantation of General Nathanael Greene's widow, which made the challenging work of seperating seeds from cotton fiber quicker. This increased the production of cotton in the South and made it profitable, so the need of African American slavery increased. This led to the Civil War. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Senate combined the Maine and Missouri proposals into a bill. Maine entered as a free state, while Missouri entered as a slave state and kept the political balance of the North and the South. Then, Senator Jesse B. Thomas, proposed an amendement that prohibited slavery, territory north of the southern boundary of Missouri (36°, 30' parallel) of the Louisiana Purchase. This debate revealed a strong nuance of sectionalism between the North and the South. This led to the Civil War. -
William Lloyd Garrison- The Garrisonian Abolitionist Movement
He found his own weekly newspaper, called the "Liberator." Lloyd wanted American citizenship to be exended to all blacks. His philosophy was revolutionary and attracted a large group of followers throughout the North. This led to the creation of the American-Anti Slavery Society in 1832, with more than 250,000 members by 1838. The anti-slavery movement in the North was seen as a menace to the South, because this could encourage more slaves to rebel. This led to the Civil War. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion in the South
Turner was a slaver preacher who led armed African Americans. They went from house to house in Southampton County, Virginia and killed 60 white men, women, and children. Federal troops took over them and executed more than 100. It was the only successful slave insurrection of the 19th century in the South. This intimidated the white southern men and caused them to take control of slavery more strictly. As well as, stand stronger against those who tried to oppose them. This led to the Civil War. -
The Nullification Crisis
A congressional tariff bill was passed to protect the industry of the North, and earned the enmity of the South who viewed it as the "tariff of abominations." John C. Calhoun used his Theory of Nullifcation to justify the nullification of the tariff. South Carolina supported him and in 1832 they voted to nullify the Tariff of 1828. Pres. Andrew Jackson viewed nullification as a treason and used military against South Carolina, so the laws of Congress would be obeyed. This led to the Civil War. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
Clay's Compromise maintained national harmony for a temporary time. The Fugitive Slave Act was the most debatable. This act was opposed by the northerners when southerners began appearing in the northern states to claim slaves who had ran away. Northern states then began to pass their own laws that saved fugitive slaves to be deported. This led to the Civil War. -
Gadsden Purchase made by James Gadsden
The Westward expansion emerged the idea of building a transcontinental railroad. The North favored to build it through Chicago, while the South favored locations all located in slave states. Sec. of War, Jefferson Davis, sent James, a southern railroad builder to Mexico. There he persuaded the Mexican govt. to exchange a strip of land that's between Arizona and New Mexico for $10 million. This only eased the railroad to be built in the southern, and angered the North. This led to the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854 to Bleeding Kansas 1855
Pres.Pierce approved Stephen Douglas' proposal to divide the Nebraska Territory into two: Kansas and Nebraska. Each state would then decide the status of slavery by popular sovereignty. Settlers from the North and South in Kansas argued over the status and led to violence. John Brown led the Pottawatomic Massacre and killed 5 pro-slavery settlers. Violence in the territorial expansion only reopened the controversy over slavery and threatened the Union's unification. This led to the Civil War. -
The Dred Scott Decision- Supreme Court
In 1850, Scott was once claimed free under Missouri Law until John Sanford claimed ownership of Scott. In court, Chief Justice Roger Taney claimed that Scott could not file a suit, because he was African American and therefore had no rights. He also claimed that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in a state. This infuriated and disturbed the North, while it elated the South, due to its approval by the highest tribunal on one of the most controversial issues. This led to the Civil War. -
The Election of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln won presidency with a majority of electoral votes, but only two-fifths of the popular vote. He was not an abolitonist but believed that slavery was morally wrong, and that all blacks should have basic rights such as those of white men. Lincoln and his party also wanted to stop the spread of slavery into territories. The moment Lincoln became president, the South saw their position in the Union as despairing, so the disunion between the two groups quickly arose. This led to the Civil War.
