Missouri Compromise 1820

There were slave problems in the United States which caused the Louisiana Purchase to split into two parts, one part was for the pro-slavery citizens and the other part was for the anti slavery citizens. Maine and above the south line were free states while everything below allowed slavery. This contributed to the war because it put a line in the country and split the country into two differ beliefs which divided the country even more as a whole.

The South Carolina Nullification Crisis 1832-1833

December 10th 1832, Andrew Jackson issued a proclamation to the people of South Carolina which gave them the right to nullify a law. The federal government believes they can't do that and the states can't reject the laws. South Carolina was not pleased with this and they said if don't allow South Carolina to nullify they will become their own state. This contributed to the war because Jackson was gonna have his own war with South Carolina and they sent an army to South Carolina but they backed down. This still showed the country was very divided in their beliefs.

Wilmot Proviso 1846

This was a bill that was introduced that any land we received from Mexico would be a free state. Unfortunately this did not pass because the congress was too powerful and decided to not agree with it. This contributed to the war because there is now tension in congress over how to resolve the Mexican-American war and whether or not those annexes should be free.

The Compromise from 1850

Henry Clay presented a compromise that both the North and South could accept. It provided that California would be a free state for the north and also provided new fugitive slave laws for the south. They also provided popular sovereignty where the people got to choose what they wanted in their state and for their country. This contributed to the war because they didn't enforce these laws so the south thought it was unfair and they put up a fight,

The publification of Harriet Beecher Stowes Uncle Toms Cabin 1851-1852

It demanded that the United States deliever on the promise of freedom and equality, it galvinized the abolition movement and told its story of how slavery is wrong. This contributed to the war because it exposed what it's like to be a slave and upset the people who were against slavery and with slavery. This made people be against eachother.

Kansas Nebraska Act 1854

It split the Nebraska territory into two and the people were able to choose if they wanted slavery using popular sovereignty. It was a cause of the war because the north didn't like that they had the choice to be a free state or a slave state cause that makes it so the slave and free states aren't equal.

The Dred Scott Supreme Court case 1857

A slave took a lawsuit out to try to sue for his rights. He wanted to sue his owners wife to be freed because his owner died. Unfortunately the slave didn't win the case. This helped cause the war because it showed the people of the country that black people couldn't get their rights, even from the government.

The Lincoln Douglas debates 1858

The two debated over if slaves should have their rights and if slavery was right or wrong. Douglas was pro slavery and believed black people deserve no rights and Lincoln believed slavery is wrong. But he also believed they should have rights but not as many rights as the white do. He said blacks shouldn't have the right to be in the jury and they shouldn't have other political rights. This caused the war it showed opposite views and how the country is divided.

John Browns Raid on Harpers Ferry

John Brown wanted slavery to end, him and his sons raided the arsenal. They wanted slaves to come help but they didn't show so his sons ended up getting killed and John Brown got put in jail and hung. This caused the war because the south thought this was an act of war but the north saw this as an act of courage. This pitted the north and south against eachother using violence

Election of Abraham Lincoln

The election took place in Chicago. There were three major candidates. The northern democrats backed Stephen Douglas, and the southern backed Vice President John Breckinridge. Abraham Lincoln beat all his components in the electoral vote though none of the southern states voted for him. This contributed to the war because the south believed that because of his election they lost their political voice in the national government.