Civil WarBy Theodore Quinn and

Ryan Johnston

Events• Kansas - Nebraska Act• Compromise of 1850• Fugitive Slave Act• Uncle Tom’s Cabin• Dred Scott Decision • Election of Abraham Lincoln• Harpers Ferry Raid • Secession of the South • Free States Enter the Union • Conflicts of the North and South Grow

Compromise of 1850The Compromise of 1850 was a series of five bills that were

intended to even slave states vs free states. Its goal was to deal with the spread of slavery to territories in order to

keep northern and southern interests in balance:-California was entered as a free state.

-New Mexico and Utah were each allowed to use popular sovereignty to decide the issue of slavery. In other words, the people would pick whether the states would be free

or slave. -The Republic of Texas gave up lands that it claimed in present day New Mexico and received $10 million to pay

its debt to Mexico. -The slave trade was abolished in the District of Columbia.

-The Fugitive Slave Act made any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave liable to pay a fine. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 and

caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery.

Dred Scott Decision

• In 1857, Dred Scott lost his case proving that he should be free because he had been held as a slave while living in a free state. The Court ruled that his

petition could not be seen because he did not hold any

property. But it went further, to state that even though he had been taken by his 'owner' into

a free state, he was still a slave because slaves were to be

considered property of their owners. This decision furthered

the cause of abolitionists as they increased their efforts to

fight against slavery

Kansas – Nebraska Act • The Kansas-Nebraska Act was

passed by the U.S. Congress on May 30, 1854. It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow

slavery within their borders. The Act served to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which prohibited slavery north

of latitude 36°30´.

Fugitive Slave Act• The Fugitive Slave Act was

passed as part of the Compromise of 1850. This act forced any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave liable to pay a fine. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 and caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery. This act increased the Underground Railroad activity as fleeing slaves made their way to Canada.

Uncle Toms Cabin • Uncle Tom's Cabin or Life Among the Lowly was written

in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was an

abolitionist who wrote this book to show the evils of

slavery. This book, which was a best seller at the time, had

a huge impact on the way that northerners viewed

slavery. It helped further the cause of abolition and even Abraham Lincoln recognized that this book was one of the

events that led to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Conflicts of the North and South Grow

• In May of 1956- Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner delivers a speech attacking slavery supporters in the Senate. He singles out Senator Andrew Butler of South Carolina in his speech. Two days later, South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks, Butler's nephew, attacks Sumner on the Senate floor and beats him with a cane. The House did not expel or censure Brooks for the attack, Sumner took three years to recover.

Election of Abraham Lincoln • With the election of Republican

candidate Abraham Lincoln on November 6, 1860, South

Carolina followed by six other states seceded from the Union.

Even though his views about slavery were considered

moderate during the nomination and election, South Carolina had warned it would

secede if he won. Lincoln agreed with the majority of the

Republican Party that the South was becoming too

powerful and made it part of their platform that slavery

would not be extended to any new territories or states added

to the union.

Harpers Ferry Raid • The Raid at Harpers Ferry was

led by John Brown, an abolitionist from the north. The Raid at Harpers Ferry was when John Brown and his men attacked the U.S. Federal Arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. An arsenal is a place where military weapons are stored. John Brown wanted to seize the arsenal because he thought by stealing weapons he could help free some slaves. He would get slaves and other abolitionists to begin a battle against slave owners. The Raid at Harpers Ferry became one of the causes of the Civil War.

Free States Enter the Union

• With more free states entering the Union the south felt that with its new president the Union was gaining more power and making it an uneven balance between the Union and the Confederacy.

Secession of the South • In January, 1861, The South

Seceded from the Union. Abraham Lincoln had been elected as President. He was a strong opponent of slavery.

• After calling a state convention, the delegates voted to remove the state of South Carolina from the Union. The secession of South Carolina was then followed by six more states, including Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Eventually Eleven States formed the Confederate States of America.

Bibliography • http://cwar.nps.gov/civilwar/abcivwarTimeline.htm• http://americanhistory.about.com/od/civilwarmenu/tp/secessionevents.htm• http://www.bhsonline.org/library/Teachers/kelleher/US%20History%20DBQs/Kansas-

Nabraska%20Act%20Meagan%20Staffiere/kansas-nebraska%20dbq%20documents_files/image002.jpg

• http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0553212184.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg• http://www.civil-war-battles.com/images/people/180px-Lincoln.png• http://www.aaregistry.com/eimage/

JohnBrownRaidHarpersFerryArsenal(1859)HarperWeekly.gif• http://1978rebels.com/images/confederate_flag.gif• http://www.blogeasy.com/document.download?documentID=1931• http://www.discoverclarksville.com/articles/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/civil-war-

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