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Missouri Compromise
Missouri wanted to enter into the Union as a slave stave but that would now create an uneven amount of Slave to Free states . Therefore Henry Clay let them be a slave state and Maine became a free state . Now territories north of the 36' 30' line would be free and those to the south of that line were slave states . -
Dred Scott Decision
He was a free man because his master had taken him to free territory. Yet he was sued because his master had died before declaring him free .He was declared as property by Chief Justice Roger Taney. This is a cause leading to the Civil War because he was the first known case of a slave speaking for their rights and he could have possibly given courage to other slaves to do the same. -
Election of 1848
Slavery causes break ups and new political parties , the Democrat party was broken up into 2 parts the Free Soil Party which opposed to slavery in western territories and the Whig Party which had popular sovereignty which allowed the people of the territory decide . This was a cause that led up to the Civil War because now the country would be divided and this would cause many fights especially in the territories that popular sovereignty because many people could or could not want slavery . -
Failed Compromise / Mexican American War
California and many other sates wanted to join the union , now the problem was it whether these states would be considered free or slave . Popular Sovereignty was going to be put into effect to make further decisions , congress no longer had control . Now there was a stronger fugitive slave law which meant that southerners could hunt down escaped slaves. -
Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman was also an abolitionist , she created what is called the Underground Railroad . She was born into slavery but eventually escaped and wanted to help other slaves escape as well she was able to help over 70 of them escape . This was a cause of the civil war because now slaves were escaping and in the rich white people's eyes that just wasn't acceptable because they shouldn't be allowed any type of freedom . -
Kansas Nebraska Act
Americans wanted to build a railroad to connect the West Coast with the rest of the United States , again the conflict was with slavery because of where the railroad was being built in either the North or South . They came to the agreement that it would divide the Nebraska territory into 2 parts Kansas and Nebraska . Popular Sovereignty again was implemented and so congress could not decide whether these territories had or didn't have slaves. -
Illinios Senate Race
Lincoln was a republican and thought slavery was morally wrong and opposed expansion of it in the western territories and his opponent Douglas a democrat he advocated popular sovereignty . this was a cause leading up to the civil war because now people had to decide whether to abolish slavery completely or have them decide which many did want slavery to continue but many also didn't want it to continue . -
Abolition Movement
Early abolitionists wanted slavery to gradually to go away . People like Fredrick Douglas and William Lloyd Garrison were the first abolitionists . Garrison believed that it was morally and ethically wrong , while Douglas had been a slave and self taught himself most things. This led to the Civil War because they were the first to get this movement going and it was always diving the North and South region because of how slavery was split in certain states -
Seccession of Southern States
Southern states began to secede from the Union
South Carolina because of the election because Abraham Lincoln won and that put in jeopardy their slaves.They came to a compromise which was that Congress tried to compromise with south be promising to protect slavery where it existed but congress was not able to pass a bill that protected slavery . -
Election of 1860
The Democrat had split decisions one candidate wanted to support popular sovereignty and the other supported the Dred Scott Decision. There is also the republican party that Abraham Lincoln's goal is stop expansion of slavery, not abolish and preserve the union , There other party was the constitutional Union Party, John Bell was promising to uphold constitution & Union.This led to the Civil war because now the candidates all had different motives that weren't going to sit well with many people
