1. Causes of the Civil War
10 Critical Events

2. US-Mexican War (1846-48) Starts with a fight over Texas
Results in the addition of lots of new territory (S.W. part of the U.S.)
Will slavery be allowed into the new territory?
Wilmot-Proviso = bill introduced in Congress that bans slavery in the new territory
Leads to a huge fight = regional divisions

3. Compromise of 1850 Sen. John C. Calhoun vs. Sen. Daniel Webster
Calhoun = allow for the expansion of slavery or else
Webster = opposes the expansion of slavery
Henry Clay = The Great Compromiser offers up a deal to “save the union”

4. Details of the Compromise
California = free state
Utah & New Mexico = vote on whether or not they would allow slavery
Texas-New Mexico boundary resolved; Texas is paid $10 million by the federal gov’t
Slave trading banned in DC, but slavery allowed to continue
Fugitive Slave Act = slaves must be returned to their owner; to assist runaway slaves was a crime

5. Kansas-Nebraska Act
Divides the large territory into two separate parts: Nebraska and Kansas
Popular Sovereignty = Allow the people in Nebraska & Kansas to vote on the issue of slavery
Border Ruffians vs. Free Soilers
Leads to Bleeding Kansas = violence breaks out over the issue of slavery
Bleeding Sumner – Sen. Charles Sumner attacked on the floor of the senate by Rep. Preston Brooks

6. Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott – slave taken to a free territory in the North
Argues that because of the Missouri Compromise; he should be free = sues for his freedom
Supreme Court says that he is property; therefore has no standing to sue (no rights)
Missouri Comp. was unconstitutional

7. Birth of the Republican Party
The Whig Party disappears in the early 1850s
New political party = Republican Party
Made up of discontented Whigs & Anti-slavery Democrats
Main issue = opposition to slavery (keep it from spreading)
Strongest support in the Northern states

8. Fugitive Slave Act & Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Outrages Harriet Beecher Stowe
Decides to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Describes in detail the horrific practice of slavery
Further divides northerners and southerners

9. Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)
U.S. Senate Race in Illinois
Stephen Douglas (Demo.)
Abraham Lincoln (Rep.)
Series of debates outlining the future of slavery
Douglas – strong supporter of popular sovereignty
Lincoln – contain slavery to the South

10. John Brown Radical abolitionist
Wants to lead a violent overthrow in the South
He & his sons raid a weapons depot in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (1859)
Have a standoff with authorities
Eventually, John Brown is executed
Becomes a hero in the North
Southerners think he’s crazy

11. Election of 1860 Four major candidates: Abraham Lincoln – Republican
Stephen Douglas – Northern Democrat
John C. Breckinridge – Southern Democrat
John Bell – Constitution Union Party
Lincoln wins a majority of the Electoral College
Most of the population is in the North

12. Electoral Map

13. Southern Secession South doesn’t trust Lincoln
South Carolina secedes from the Union followed by many other southern states
Big Question = Is secession legal? Can states just leave?
Lincoln says “NO!”
1861 war begins

14. Map of the Divided U.S.A.