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Causes of Civil War Timeline
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Missouri Compermise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise that agreed to Missouri becoming a slave state and Maine a free state so the Senate vote could be equal. It was also made a law that there could not be new slave states made above the line of 36-30 but previous slave states were able to be kept a slave state. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 allowed California to become a free state, helped to set up a government for the territories of Utah and New Mexico, allowed popular sovereignty to be a way that states could decide if they were a free or slave state, and discussed the fugitive slave act. The Compromise of 1850 also happened in the midst of many political leaders deaths. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act, passed in 1850 by Congress, was part of the Compromise of 1850. It was a the law that stated that any runaway slaves that were found or spotted, even if in a free state, must be returned to their owner. If a person found/saw a slave and did not work to force the slave back to their owner they could be a fine of up to $1,000 and jail time. -
Uncle Tom Cabin is Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book published in 1852 that was meant to bring awareness to the cruel reality that is/was slavery and the fugitive slave act. It was beloved by Northerns and was a key piece in the anti-slavery movement. Tom, the main character, was a kind slave who was constantly whipped and eventually whipped to death by his cruel owner/master -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act proposed the idea of setting up a government for the Northwestern part of the Louisiana purchase. It also repealed the Missouri Compromise and stated the Kansas and Nebraska would choose slavery with popular sovereignty. After the president, Franklin Pierce, pushed through the act it further set the stage for the civil war and caused violent clashes in America. -
Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott Case was a U.S. Supreme Court case in 1857. Dred Scott, a former slave who had moved to free states with his master before his death was once again considered to be a slave after his "ownership" was passed down to a male in the family. He, with the help of lawyers argued that because he had moved to a free state he was now a free man and couldn't be owned. The court ruled that because slaves were not citizens they could not file a lawsuit and Dred was forced into slavery. -
John Brown's Raid in Harpers Ferry
John Brown, was a radical abolitionist that led a raid on an ammunition warehouse with hopes of providing slaves with weapons that would assist their revolt against the government. Though John Brown and his "team" were easily able to take control of the wherehouse, 10 of the men were quickly killed and John Brown was captured, as a result they were not able to give slaves the weapons to revolt. -
Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 was one that polarized many voters and divided the Democratic party. Abraham Lincoln, an abolitionist and Republican, was not allowed on the ballot in many Southern States. When he later won the race, he was essentially solely elected by Northerns. The polarizing election further grew sectionalism between the North and South and set the stage for the civil war. -
South Carolina Secedes
In 1860 South Carolina was the first U.S. state to secede, or breakaway, from the U.S. government (due to political disregaments/conflict, in this case the topic was slavery) beginning the formation of the Confederate States Of America with the southern slave states that later followed.