Causes of the Civil War

State’s Rights

-Federalism-system of multiple governments in order to give more localized decision making power

-10th Amendment-all powers not given to the federal government are reserved for the states and people.

Slavery

-pro-slavery

-anti-slavery

-opposed growth of slavery

Nullification

-Sedition Acts-Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

-Tariff laws1828 Tariff Crisis

-Slavery issues-southern threats to nullify any anti-slavery laws

Nullification

-Sedition Acts-Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions

-Tariff laws1828 Tariff Crisis

-Slavery issues-southern threats to nullify any anti-slavery laws

Sectionalism

-issues become more and more regional in nature

-slavery, tariffs, economics

-industrial north

-agricultural south

Compromise of 1820

-drew a line to determine the future areas of slavery

-solved the slavery debate for about 20 years

Compromise of 1850

-Wilmot Proviso tried to block slavery in old Mexican areas but is defeated in Congress

-California applies for statehooddebate begins and Clay organizes compromise

-California admitted as free state

-South gets stronger Fugitive law

-Popular Sovereignty to help decide future cases of slavery

Underground Railroad

-many early attempts at escape relied on luck

-network of anti-slavery advocates who helped slaves escape

-many times slaves needed to get to Canada to be totally free

-Harriet Tubman

Fugitive Slave Law

-allowed slave catchers to go into free areas and capture runaway slaves

-made it a crime to help any runaway

-suspected slaves need not be given a trial or a chance to testify

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

-Harriet Beecher Stowe

-depicted evil side of slavery to the public

“Uncle Tom”

“Simon Legree”

-1852, sold over a million copies

Kansas-Nebraska Act

-1854--popular sovereignty passed as law in 1850 compromise to determine slavery

-rush to populate state with “voters” for each side

-”bleeding Kansas”slavery and abolitionist forces resort to violence

-A fight in the U.S. Senate Preston Brooks v.Charles Sumner

Dred Scott v. Sanford-Scott is a slave

-he is taken into free states

-sues for freedom based on NW Ordinance and Missouri Compromise

-Supreme Court (majority of southern justices) rules:Blacks are not citizensCan’t ban slavery

Missouri Comp. is illegal

Development of Republican Party

-Slavery had come to dominate the differences in the parties

-by 1850 the differences had peaked so that anti-slavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free-Soilers formed a new anti-slavery party

-official party policy was to oppose the growth of slavery where it did not exist.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

-Senate race in 1858Stephen Douglas (Dem), Abraham Lincoln (Rep.)

-debate over slavery issuesneither man wanted slavery in the area, but how to do it?

-Douglas issues Freeport DoctrineSlavery needs certain laws in order to exist. Don’t pass those laws and there will be no slavery

-Douglas wins the election, Lincoln gains national fame

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

-Senate race in 1858Stephen Douglas (Dem), Abraham Lincoln (Rep.)

-debate over slavery issuesneither man wanted slavery in the area, but how to do it?

-Douglas issues Freeport DoctrineSlavery needs certain laws in order to exist. Don’t pass those laws and there will be no slavery

-Douglas wins the election, Lincoln gains national fame

John Brown’s Raid-John Brown was an extreme

abolitionist

-captured Harper’s Ferry military installation in Virginia with intent to arm slaves

-surrounded and forced to surrender

-Brown found guilty at trial and then hanged--becomes a martyr for many abolitionists

-Many Southerners thought Brown represented northerners who wanted to control the southern lifestyle and economy

Southern Secession-1860 election

-slavery divided the parties-Lincoln pledges to stop spread of slavery but not to interfere with the south

-Douglas got support of Northern Democrats

-John Breckinridge got southern Democrats

-John Bell nominated by Constitutional Union Party

Lincoln’s Election

-Lincoln wins election with no southern electoral votes

-Southern states secede in fear of gov’t where they have no voice -S.C. first to secede, 6 others follow

- Confederate States of America formed before Lincoln takes office-Jefferson Davis elected Confederate President