Causes Of The Civil War Flashcards
Missouri Comprimise
The Missouri compromise stated that Missouri would be slave and Maine would be free. The Louisiana territory would be divided at the 36 30 line. The north would be free and the south would be slave.
The northwest ordinance of 1787
When the U.S. Divided the northwestern states into states.
Banned slavery north of the Ohio River in the Ohio Valley (the land between the Appalachian Mountains and the Mississippi River)
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay came up with a compromise that stated that California was free, New Mexico and Utah were slave, slave trade banned in DC, and there was a strict fugitive slave law. Some Southerners including Daniel Webster remained wary of this plan.
Ostend Manifesto
This was when president Franklin Pierce wanted to buy Cuba and when Spain refused he threatened to take it with force. This frightened the northerners and they stopped this from happening.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Stephan A. Douglass wanted to build a railroad from California to Illinois, but that was more likely to happen if they had the Great Plains. He said nothing about slavery. He wanted to create to more states which are Kansas and Nebraska. The people of these states would vote if they would be free or slave states. He called this popular sovereignty.
“Gag” Rule
In 1836, Congress voted to table, or silence, all anti-slavery petitions. It was not until the United States won land during the Mexican-American War that the Gag Rule was lifted
Fugitive Slave Law
This law stated that any runaway slave would be returned to their owners. Also it stated that any person that helped a slave escape would be jailed.
Uncle Toms cabin
The book Uncle Toms Cabin showed the horrors of slavery. In this book Harriet Beecher Stowe, the author is escaping from Simon Legree.
Bleeding Kansas
After the Kansas Nebraska act was passed both the north and south poured into Kansas to try to get votes. The northerners were called free spoilers and the southerners were called boarder ruffians. They had competing governments in Kansas. After a while, it turned to violence.
Bleeding Congress
Charles Summer made a speech before congress about bleeding Kansas and Preston Brooks hit him with a cane because him and the southerners hated him and the speech.
Dred Scot and Supreme Court ruling
The slave owner took his slave to DC to sue for his freedom and The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was not a citizen so he could not sue.
John Browns Raid
John Brown dispised slavery and wanted to raid Harpers Ferry. He got 10,000$ from Boston abolitionists to conduct his raid to get to the armory. He raided Harpers Ferry and he got to the armory. But then he let a train leave and he got caught and killed.
Lincoln Douglass debates
Lincoln and Douglas, running against one another for a U.S. Senate seat representing Illinois in 1858, would challenge one another to a series of debates over the issue of slavery. Lincoln would stress his views that slavery should not be allowed in the western territories while Douglas would stress his beliefs in popular sovereignty.
Lincoln Douglass debates
In these debates there was a lot of mudslinging.
Abraham Lincoln- Republican
Stephen A. Douglas- Northern Democrat
John Breckinridge- Southern Democrat
John Bell- Constitutional Union Party
Abraham Lincoln would win the election due to overwhelming support in the North and West. Soon after his election, southern states would secede from the Union.
Secede
To “secede” means to withdraw from a country or organization. On December 20, 1861, South Carolina issued a declaration of secession, which stated that they were withdrawing from (leaving) the United States and forming their own independent nation. Six other states would soon follow South Carolina’s lead.
Attack on ft. Sumner
Fort Sumter, a Union fort located outside of Charleston, South Carolina, was attacked by Confederate forces on April 12, 1861. After 33 hours of shelling, the fort, which was commanded by Union Major Robert Anderson, was surrendered to Confederate forces, which were lead by P.T. Beauregard, Anderson’s former student at West Point. This event marked the start of the Civil War.
