Events Leading Up To The Civil War 1820

Events Leading Up To The Civil War 1820 - 1860

THE MISSOURI COMPROMISE (1820) • As more and more territories were acquired by the U. S, the issue over slavery became very contentious. A debate occurred and finally a compromise was reached. It stated: 1. ) Missouri entered as a slave state 2. ) Maine entered as a free state. 3. ) The 36’ 30’’ line is drawn. This line was suppose to decide whether slavery would be allowed in certain territories or not. • This compromise was effective for a number of years – almost thirty! Then problems began to occur and http: //www. history. com/topics/missouri-compromise/videos the compromise was less and

COMPROMISE OF 1850 • COMPROMISE AGAIN! • This time it included 5 parts! Ø 1. ) California entered as a FREE state. Ø 2. ) Area from Mexican Cession divided into Utah and New Mexico. Slavery issue to be decided by POPULAR SOVEREIGNTRY. Ø 3. ) ENDED slave trade in Washington D. C. Ø 4. ) Made a STRICT Fugitive Slave Law Ø 5. ) Settled border problems between New Mexico and Texas. • http: //www. history. com/topics/compromise-of-1850/videos/soundsmart-compromise-of-1850 Again, problems would be better for only a short period of time.

FUGITIVE SLAVE LAW (1850) • This law was part of the compromise of 1850. • It was a law that REQUIRED citizens to catch runaway slaves. • If a person did not comply, they cold be fined up to $1000 or put in jail for SIX months. • Judges received $10 if they returned a slave and $5 if they freed them. • MANY blacks who were free were captured and sent back into slavery. • Northerners HATED this law because it forced them to become part of the system of slavery. http: //www. pbs. org/video/american-experience-fugitive-slave-act/

UNCLE TOM’S CABIN (1852) • This was a NOVEL written by Harriett Beecher Stowe. • It was written to show the EVILS of slavery by telling the story of an older slave who was whipped to death by his owner. • After reading it, MANY Northerners began to change their view of slavery. • Southerners said the book was full of LIES! http: //www. pbs. org/video/american-experience-uncletoms-cabin/

KANSAS-NEBRASKA ACT (1854) Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois sponsored this bill. https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=l-A 0 v. PGo 52 w • Divided lands into Kansas and Nebraska territories. • Decided that SLAVERY issue would be decided by POPULAR SOVREIGNTY (issues voted on by the people in the territory/state). • Led to violence in the Senate. Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner. • Pro-slavery and Anti-slavery settlers in ONE AREA and this led to conflict! • Northerners believe this REPEALED the Missouri Compromise. • Bleeding Kansas – Gov. John Geary sends out 1, 300 federal troops to stop violence

POTTAWATOMIE CREEK KILLINGS (1856) • Because of the violence going on in Kansas, John Brown and four of his sons, decided to take the law into their own hands. • They rode into a small town named Pottawatomie Creek and pulled five pro -slavery men out of their beds in the middle of the night. • The men are murdered. John Brown believed he was doing what “GOD has told him to do”. • Many Northerners, while they didn’t believe in slavery, were appalled at what he did.

DRED SCOTT DECISION (1857) • • Dred Scott was a slave. He lived in a free territory with his owner. His owner moved back into a slave state. While there, the owner died. Scott had ABOLITIONIST attorneys file a law suit for him. It went to the Supreme Court but he LOST. The Court ruled he was NOT a citizen but RATHER property and therefore he could not file a lawsuit. • Also, they ruled that Congress could NOT ban slavery in any of the territories. • This REPEALED the Missouri Compromise. • Southerners LOVED the ruling while Northerners HATED it. It meant slavery could spread into all the territories! http: //www. pbs. org/video/american-experience-dred-scott-decision/

LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATE (1858) • Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas debated! • Douglass believed in deciding slavery by popular sovereignty. • Lincoln believed that slavery should NOT be allowed to spread into the territories. http: //www. history. com/topics/lincoln-douglas-debates/videos/abrahamlincolns-house-dividedspeech? m=528 e 394 da 93 ae&s=undefined&f=1&free=false • Lincoln ALSO believed the nation could not survive if the fighting continued to rip the Union apart with the slavery issue.

RAID ON HARPER’S FERRY (1859) http: //www. pbs. org/wgbh/amex/brown/peopleevents/pande 09. html • John Brown was at it again! • This time, he led five blacks and thirteen whites into Harper’s Ferry. • They planned to raid an arsenal and start a slave revolt. • Problem: No slaves “rose” to help. • A number of his men died and Brown was arrested by Robert E. Lee. • Brown was tried and found guilty of murder and treason. He was later hanged. • Some Northerners thought of http: //www. history. com/topics/john-brown/videos/john-brownshim as a “Martyr”

ELECTION OF 1860 • Lincoln ran against Douglas in the Presidential Election of 1860. • The Southern states did not like Lincoln. They overwhelmingly supported Douglas yet Lincoln STILL got elected. • Southerners grew very angry. Said this showed it did not matter what their opinions were, the North had too much power! • Many Southerners talked of

The South Secedes • December 20, 1860 - South Carolina voted to secede from the Union. • Senator John Crittenden(Kentucky) tried to extend the Missouri Compromise line to the West. (Fails) • February 1861 - Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia secede. • February 4 th, 1861 – In Montgomery, Alabama the Confederate States of America is formed. • Jefferson Davis - Selected to a 6 year term as President of the Confederate States.

Attack on Fort Sumter • The Confederate forces seized Federal Forts. • April 12, 1861 - The attack began in Charleston Harbor at 4: 30 A. M. • P. G. T. Beauregard led the attack against Robert Anderson. • Anderson is forced to surrender the Fort. (Yankee Doodle) April 14 th, 1861 • Daniel Hough - Is the first man to die in the Civil War. • Union Flag is re-raised on April 14, 1865.

Lincoln Calls For Volunteers • After news of the attack and capture of Ft. Sumter Lincoln called for 75, 000 volunteers. • Many people North and South rushed out to volunteer for military service. • Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Arkansas voted to join the Confederacy. • The Civil War officially began.