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The Invention of the Cotton Gin
This invention indirectly fueled the War. It changed the economics in the South. Using these new machines created a reason to have slaves that could make cotton much more efficiently now and make the Southern economy boost. With the cotton gin, there was more cotton being produced which called for more workers. This caused the number of slaves in the nation to rise tremendously. The North was NOT happy about the growth in the number of slaves. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This law REQUIRED all citizens to help catch runaway slaves. If citizens allowed slaves to escape, they would be fined. This made the North very outraged. They were not okay with this new act, feeling as though they did not have the freedom to make their own decisions. The anger the North had was continuing to brew and separate the two sides. -
The Missouri Compromise
When Missouri applied for independence, the balance between the free states and slave states became unbalanced. This is when Henry Clay proposed that the nation make Maine a free state and allow Missouri to become a slave state. Congress then established the 36'30 line. Slavery would be permitted south of this line. This compromise made the nation divide even more than it already had. -
Nat Turner's Revolt
This resulted in 55 slaves, including Nat Turner, to be murdered. Him and his followers attempted to hold a slave revolt, but it failed miserably. On the other hand, his rebellion still made the South very worried about future uprisings. The death of these men caused the North to be extremely mad and upset, since the men were only trying to fight for justice. The sectionalism in America grew even more after this revolt, with tensions continuing to rise. -
The Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
This book showed the true horror of slavery in detail. It made the South very upset, since they felt like it was filled with lies. They did not feel as though it was an accurate representation of slavery. The two sides continued to split apart even more, with the North and South hating each other even more. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown and his men obtained control of the Federal Arsenal in Virginia. His plan was for the slaves to follow his lead and carry out a huge slave revolt. This caused the South to become very annoyed, causing lots of trouble for them. The North were all for John Brown and his raid, believing it was necessary. As it turns out, it just made things much worse. The two sides were becoming more and more fed up with each other. -
Succession After the Election
The Southern states were not happy with President Lincoln and his views on moving away from slavery. For this reason, South Carolina, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas all seceded from the Union. With them becoming independent from the government, they were free to keep slavery for as long as they wished. This made the North very angry, defeating the purpose of all of Lincoln's work to move them towards abolition. This was the breaking point. They wanted war.