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The Northwest Ordinance was a law that gave Congress the right to split the Northwest Territory into three to five smaller territories and created a way to govern them. These were the first new states to be free of slavery. This led to the civil war because it outlawed slavery in the new territories, and it was made very clear that the states that came from these territories would be free. The south didn't like this and they were very upset, so they started attacking pro-slavery activists and all the violence eventually led to war.

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In 1973, a man named Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which is a machine that easily and efficiently cleans cotton of its seeds. Before this invention, this was a tedious process that slaves had to do, and took a very long time. Once the cotton gin was created, although the amount of labor needed decreased, the want for slaves increased because cotton was more profitable. More people started to want slaves in the south, but the north disagreed and eventually, there was a debate if slavery should be allowed or not, which lead to violence and the civil war.

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In the presidential election of 1800, Democratic-Republican Thomas Jefferson defeated Federalist John Adams. Thomas Jefferson revieced 65 Electoral College votes, while John Adams recieved 73. The vote was 53% Jefferson to 47% Adams, meaning Jefferson won. This led to the civil war because if Jefferson hadn't won, the Louisiana Territory wouldn't of been purchased which means there wouldn't be discussion of if slavery would expand westward or not, and there wouldn't be a war because the nation couldn't decide.

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In 1803, Thomas Jefferson tried to buy New Orleans from France. He offered $2million just for the New Orleans trading port because it secured the U.S. shipping practices, increased the amount of facilities owned, and it allowed the U.S. to bring and deposit foreign goods to markets, ultimately putting the U.S. on the map for trading. The French leader, Napoleon, ended up offering all the land to the U.S. because there was a war going on in France, and he wanted to focus on Europe. This led to the civil war because everyone wanted to expand westward into the new land, and no one could agree or decide on if the land was going to be enslaved, or free.

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In 1805, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out with a dozen other men to explore the newly gained territory. Their group was called the "Corps of Discovery" and their jobs were to map the land, establish freindly trade realationships with native tribes, and search for a water way to connect to the Pacific Ocean. No one knew what was in this land, other than myths that they had been told. They went all the way to the Oregon Territory and back, meeting a woman named Sacagawea on the way who helped them on their expedition. This eventually led to the Civil War because after this land was explored, people expanded into it and the decision of if the new land would be enslaved or free, led to disagreement and violence between the nation.

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The Act of 1808 forced penalties on international slave traders, but didn't end slavery or the sale of slaves. The act brought trade underground, and ships caught illegally trading were brought into the US and the ships passengers would be sold into slavery. This led to the civil war because the north liked it because it meant that slavery was slowly starting to be abolished, but the south didn't want it to be. People among the US started arguing and fighting and violence was involved, eventually leading to the civil war.

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A financial panic swept across the country. There had been a growth in trade and it came to an abrupt stop. Many people became unemployed, banks failed, mortgages foreclosed, meaning people couldn't pay enough and the bank took their houses, and agricultural prices decreased by almost half! Because of this and another economic depression, Manifest Destiny became a big talk among the people. Everyone wanted to expand west to get a chance to start a new life. This led to the Civil War because once people finally started expanding Westward, no one knew if the land would be enslaved or free, and people started to take sides and argue. It got to a point where it was so serious that violence was involved, and it led to a war among the nation.

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The US bought Florida from Spain. This helped determine the border between the US and Mexico. People in the US didn't know if the land would be free or enslaved and they didn't know how it was going to be decided. Everyone wanted it to be their way, but there were many different opinions, so not everyone would be happy. People from the north wanted free land and people from the south wanted enslaved land. Once people knew that others were disagreeing, violence broke out in order to get their way, which eventually led to war over the debate about slavery.

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After the Louisiana Purchase, many territories wanted to become states, but before Illinois for example, could become a free state, another state, Alabama, had to become a slave state to keep it even. If there were more slave states than free states, than the slave states would have more votes, and the whole country would become slave land, so they had to keep it even. When Missouri wanted to enter the union as a free state, there was a lot of debate because there wasn't another slave state. The north wanted it to enter as a free state because they were afraid of slavery expanding everywhere. The south wanted the complete opposite. The compromise was that Missouri could enter as a free state, but Maine had to enter as a slave state too, and there was a line drawn under Missouri. Under the line would be slave territory and above it would be free. This led to the civil war because there was a lot of conflict and debate between the north and the south over which land was free and which land was enslaved.

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In 1839 banks mostly in the south closed and the economy collapsed. Inflation rose and people got mad after federal deposits were withdrawn from the banks due to people assuming that the government was selling land for a questionable value. This led to the civil war because after the economy collapsed, everyone wanted to leave and get away from the economic depression. Once people got the idea to expand west, no one knew if the land was going to be free or enslaved. Most people from the south wanted it to be enslaved land and most people from the north wanted it to be free. There was a lot of debate over the land, and no one could agree which led to war among the nation.

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In 1845, Texas was added to the Union as the 28th state of the United States of America. No one knew if the land would be enslaved or free, or how it would be decided. This led to the civil war because the north wanted the land to be free and the south wanted the land to be enslaved. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery activists started arguing and attacking each other. It became so bad that war broke out among the nation.

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Before the 1850's, there were multiple economic depressions, and overpopulation, so many people wanted to start moving westward. They said it was their destiny to expand to the west, and believed that by doing so, they were manifesting their destiny. After some people got the idea, it started to spread, and everyone was moving west. Soon after, the question came up: was this land going to be free or enslaved? Most of the north wanted free land and most of the south wanted enslaved land, and it became a very controversial subject. Activists started being violent and then it got worse and worse, to the point of war.

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In 1848, over 300,000 people traveled to the California territory in hopes to become rich. Many people were hoping to find gold, but very little did. California soon played a valuable financial role in the US government and most of the union's funding was supported by gold from California's Sierra Nevada mountains. The discovery of gold influenced the battle over the admission of California to the Union because people wanted to use Slaves to continue to search for gold, but anti-slavery people did not. They wanted California to be free, and violence broke out among the two groups. This led to the civil war because people in the US continued to argue over anti vs. pro-slavery, and no one was willing to agree.

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President James Knox Polk believed that the Mexican army had invaded America's soil, and on May 13, 1846, congress declared war on Mexico. The US won and gained the land that today is Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Utah, Texas, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. This led to the civil war because the north and south argued over if the new land would be enslaved or free, and when it became so serious that people started dying, war broke out among the nation.

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After the Missouri Compromise, the nation was still in debate over the issue of slavery. War with Mexico broke out and the U.S. won which led to lots of debate about whether the land was going to be free or enslaved. The north wanted all of it to be free or have the new territories decide by popular sovereignty. The south wanted it to be enslaved or have the Missouri compromise line extend to the pacific coast. The compromise was that California would be free and the slave trade would end and the fugitive slave act was passed. The new land was also divided into two, Utah and New Mexico. Those territories would decide if the land was free or enslaved by popular sovereignty. This led to the civil war because the north and the south continued to argue about enslaved versus free land. When these arguments got so intense they led to violence, a war began among the nation.

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The fugitive slave act was arguably the most controversial elements of the 1850's. This act required that all escaped slaves, once captured, must be returned to the owners, even if they were in a free state. The federal government was responsible for finding, and returning escaped slaves. All official and citizens of free states were forced to cooperate with this act. By passing this act, later laws further pressured citizens to take sides regarding the issue of slavery. Debate and tension between the north and south increased very quickly, which eventually led to the civil war.

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In 1853 the US bought the Gadsden purchase from Mexico in attempt to build a railroad connecting to California. This didn't work, and the north thought that the plan was for the land to become more enslaved land, and they were not happy. This led to the civil war because it inflamed the regional differences, and it became very controversial to the point where violence got involved and soon war.

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On May 30, 1854, Kansas and Nebraska were split into two. These two territories became their own and whether they were free or not, would be decided by popular sovereignty. This caused a lot of conflict because it violated the Missouri compromise. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery activists flooded the borders of each territory and violence began. It was soon known as Bleeding Kansas, and people started riots, and killing each other. Buildings were burnt down, homes were looted, and people died. This led to the civil war because once again the north and south were arguing over anti versus pro slavery, and which territories would be free and which would not be. As it started to get more and more violent, war broke out between the two groups.

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The First Sack of Lawrence occurred on May 21, 1856. Pro-slavery settlers attacked Lawrence, Kansas, a town founded by anti-slavery settlers from Massachusetts. They were hoping to make Kansas a free state. The pro-slavery settlers were led by Douglas County Sheriff Samuel J. Jones. This event was one of many that eventually led to the Civil War. This and many other events caused bleeding Kansas, which was when pro-slavery and anti-slavery people attacked and killed each other just to get their way. It led to the Civil War because the violence among the nation became a bigger deal after Bleeding Kansas. The nation became so divided that the war eventually started.

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On May 24 1856, anti-slavery men, John Brown, five of his sons, and three others, murdered five pro-slavery men on a settlement on Pottawatomie Creek, near present day Lane Kansas. This led to the Civil War because it was an event that happened in "Bleeding Kansas". They felt so strongly against the pro-slavery people that they were willing to do anything, even hack them apart with swords. They nation was so divided, they eventually went to war to determine which side would win.