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Missouri Compromise
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The image shows all of the slave states and free states and how the Missouri Compromise line divides the country. In 1819 congress thought about admitting Missouri into the union but there were debates over Missouri tampering with the balance of slave states and free states so as a compromise territories in the north that belonged to Massachusetts became Maine a free state. Also, the line above Missouri is free soil and everything below is slave soil. -
Nat Turners Rebellion
It Was a revolt led by Nat Turner who was a black slave. In 1831 he planned to seize an armory. He gathered many recruits to help him. He killed his master with seven slaves he trusted. They killed 60 white people and one problem they had was that they were untrained and they lacked discipline. They were finally stopped by the state militia. The revolt broke the myth that slaves couldn't revolt. This connects to the civil war because it's the start of the anti-slavery in America. -
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Van Buren's Presidency
The other candidates were William Henry Harrison, Hugh L. White, and Daniel Webster. Some common issues around the time of the election were what Jackson had done during his presidency such as the Nullification crisis and when Jackson shut down the Bank of America. This affected the Civil War because it carried on the struggle between state's rights and what power the federal government had. -
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Henry Harrison Presidency
The Whigs and Democrats were fighting over the presidency through Henry Harrison for the Whigs and Van Buren for the Democrats. Some common issues were the responsibility of the federal government. But after one month due to his inauguration speech, he died one month into office. It connects to the civil because of the issues of responsibilities of the federal government. -
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Tyler's Presidency
John Tyler took over the presidency after Henry Harrison died after one month in office. Because of this, it caused a crisis because a president has died in office before. One of the first things that Tyler did was that he tried to restart the charter of the Bank of America. -
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K. Polk Presidency
John Tyler attempted to run again but dropped out since he didn't have a party. Some talking points during the election were whether Texas should be allowed into the union and whether we should use hard or paper money. Besides Polk, there were two main candidates in the race. Henry Clay and James Gillespie Birney. This connects to the civil war because there was a big push for expansionism through Texas which would lead to debates over balance in the government. -
Annexation of Texas
- (caption) The annexation of Texas brought a huge amount of land to the western part of the United States
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Mexican-American War
Once war broke out in Mexico, James L. Polk sent a ship to Cuba to bring Santa Anna back to help with peace negotiations between the two nations. Once Santa Anna was in Mexico he took control of the Mexican military. The US had a plan to send troops through the Rio Grande to Mexico City and a second force led by Stephen Kearny. Kearny's campaign in Mexico and California was met with little resistance. After a while, the Mexican government sued for peace and the US gained many territories. -
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Fillmore Presidency
After Taylor's untimely death, his vice president Millard Fillmore took over. Even though Fillmore was opposed to slavery he supported the Compromise of 1850, because he wanted to preserve the union. Fillmore said that he would send the military to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This led to Fillmore becoming unpopular with northerners but did unknowingly push back the Civil War. -
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Taylor Presidency
Polk had made major land acquisitions in the west. He also said he would only run for one term. Zachary Taylor, Lewis Cass, and Martin Van Buren were all runners in the election of 1848. Zachary was popular because of his role in the War of 1812 and the Mexican-American war. The Free Soil Party was created to oppose slavery. It connects to the Civil War because the Free Soil Party shows that abolitionism is now a large ideal held by many people. -
Compromise of 1850
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Once California became a state Southern states became scared and pushed laws to make it more equal. In fear of the dissolution of the union, Henry Clay Compromised both sides and passed acts such as the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 and popular sovereignty. Because of the compromises, the Dissoultionment and the Civil War were pushed back ten years. This led to the Civil War because it only pushed back the Civil War and didn't solve any problems. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Acts gave a plantation owner the power to hire a bounty hunter to go into any part of the US and take back any slaves that ran away from a plantation. Northern abolitionists were upset because they believed that once a slave was in free territory they were free. It connects to the Civil War because it shows that there were rising racial tensions over new states and who had the power in Congress. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Publication date
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The cover of Uncle's Tom Cabin Shows Uncle Tom sitting outside where he lives with his family. In 1852 when the book was published it got widespread attention for showing the grim reality of slavery. Also, Uncle Tom's Cabin sparked debates within the international community and it showed what slavery was to the wider world. It connects to the Civil War because it started the movement of slavery becoming a moral evil. -
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Pierce Presidency
Both parties struggled to find a nominee but the Whigs chose Winfield Scoot and the Democrats chose Franklin Pierce. This was the last time the Whig party would participate in any election. The compromise of 1850 loomed over this election. This election had a very low voter turnout because of the polarizing sides and opinions of the North and the South. This connects to the Civil War because people were more divided than ever and the Whig party was no more. -
Bleeding Kansas
When Kansas was going to become a state there was the big question of what kind of state Kansas would be. In response thousands of both pro-slavery and anti-slavery people from surrounding states. They came to Kansas to sway the vote in their side's favor. As a result, there were constant clashes between both sides. In 1861 Kansas was admitted as a free state. It connects to the Civil War because it shows that people were willing to fight over their beliefs. -
Nebraska-Kansas act
The Nebraska-Kansas Act established the system of popular sovereignty which lets the residents of a state choose whether or not they wanted to be a slave state or a free state. This led to the chance of there being an uneven split between free and slave states which caused even more political turmoil. This was connected to the Civil War because it was another way that people of the time were just pushing back the problem and not coming up with a solution. -
The Caning of Senator Charles Sumner
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Preston Brooks caning Charles Sumner on the Senate floor over political differences. On May 22 the Senate floor became a warzone when Brooks attacked Sumner. This showed that the aggression between people from different political views was rising and could end up turning into violent events like this. In response to this event, southern plantation owners sent Brooks new canes because he was broken when he attacked Sumner. This shows that before the War tensions were getting stronger. -
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
Dred Scott was an escaped slave who lived in a free state and he tried to sue for his basic rights. He won in the Missouri Supreme Court but that was overturned after a while. So Scott appealed it to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court decided that just because Scoot had been free it doesn't that freed black people have any rights protected by the federal government. This connects to the Civil War because it brought up how free slaves should or shouldn't have rights. -
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Buchanan Presidency
Some of the main topics in the election were popular sovereignty and how new states should choose whether they were free or slave states. Besides Buchanan, there were two other main candidates. John C. Freemont for the republican party and Millard Fillmore for the Know-Nothing Party. This connects to the Civil War because of the political tension due to rising issues over new territories. -
Lecompton Compromise
A constitution that was proposed to make Kansas a slave. There was heavy debate over the Constitution because it was trying to bypass the vote for popular sovereignty. The connects to the Civil War because it showed the power struggle between slave and free states. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Seven debates between senatorial candidates Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. They debated primarily over the issue of slavery. Douglas proposed popular sovereignty so that the people in the state could decide what kind of state they wanted to be. Once Lincoln won he said that " a house divided amongst itself can stand." It connects to the Civil War because it was an early step for Lincoln to become president. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
During the period known as Bleeding Kansas anti-slavery activist John Brown gathered a group and assaulted the armory at Harper's Ferry. Brown hoped to make a stronghold of freed slaves. Robert E. Lee with a local militia stopped Brown and they arrested and eventually hanged him. This connects to the Civil War because this was one of the first incidents of armed fighting before the Civil War. -
Upper South Secession
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A map of all the states that were the first to leave the union. Due to Abraham Lincoln becoming president the Southern states believed that their voices weren't being heard and because they were outnumbered in both chambers of Congress. They believed that it was unfair. This was one of the two incidents that started the Civil War. -
Lower South Secession
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It shows the rest of the southern states that left the union. As for the same reason that the upper South left the union. The lower South thought that they wouldn't have their voices heard in government because Lincoln was president and they didn't have power in Congress. This was the last group of states that left the union and started the beginning of the Civil War. -
Lincoln Presidency
The four main candidates in the election were: Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge, Stephen Douglas, and John Bell. The main issues over the election were how slavery was being pushed down the road and with Lincoln winning the election Lincoln the southern states felt like they had no power because of the imbalance of Free states and Slave states. Unfortunately Lincoln would never be able to serve his full term because he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booths after the Civil War. -
Lincoln's inauguration
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Lincoln giving his first inaugural address. In his Address, he said that he wouldn't take away people's slaves and that he would protect the union and keep it together. This was the final straw that made the Southern states leaves the union. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
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The burning remains of Fort Sumter after an attack by the Confederates. The Confederacy attacked Sumter because of the longer-range cannons and because it was a symbol of the Union. The Confederates kept firing on the under-defensive fort under it fell. The South also thought that the attack on the fort would force Lincoln into leaving the South alone. This was the event that started all of the fighting between the Union and the Confederacy.