Civil War Timeline by Tristan Brownlee

The Missouri Compromise

tbrownle8723 — 2025-09-19 15:09:16 UTC

The Missouri Compromise occurred in 1820. Basically, Missouri wanted to apply for statehood, but as a slave state, which would have upset the balance of slave and free states. In order to keep the balance, Henry Clay proposed that a new state would be admitted in the North as a free state. The Compromise also banned slavery in the lands of the Louisiana Territory above the latitude line 36 30', except for the new state of Missouri. This plan generally kept a balance between abolitionists and slaveholders. With the missouri compromise, it eased tensions over slavery, which allowed for Manifest Destiny to advance by maintaining a balance between free and slave states, as the United States expanded.

Manifest Destiny

tbrownle8723 — 2025-09-19 15:20:50 UTC

Manifest Destiny had become relevant in the election of 1844, when soon-to-be president James Polk felt that it was America's destiny to extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific ("sea to shining sea.") Also due to this new idea, James K. Polk would win in a landslide victory, because almost everyone in the country agreed on the need for expansion. The first accomplishment of Manifest Destiny was that Texas (the part that Mexico didn't own) was invited to the Union. America would eventually expand to the rest of the West, where there was a dispute between Britain and the US over Oregon, where they agreed to divide at the 49 N latitutde. This fully fulfilled Manifest Destiny. With Americas ambitions to grow westward, and stretch from sea to shining sea, it eventually had to go to war with Mexico in order to gain that land.

Growth of Sectionalism

tbrownle8723 — 2025-09-22 14:57:53 UTC

Sectionalism began to grow in the 1850s. Sectionalism is how Americans show pride in their particular section (North, South, West). For example, the biggest case of sectionalism was the North vs. the South. The South, known for slavery and agriculture, competed with the North, which was for freedom and industrialization. The growth of sectionalism created rivalry between the sections of the country. Sectionalism affected all sides of the country. With the growth of sectionalism, it divided the country, which eventually led to the Compromise of 1850 to act as a temporary remedy to the countries divided wounds.

The Compromise of 1850

tbrownle8723 — 2025-09-22 15:05:23 UTC

The Compromise of 1850 came into effect after the Mexican War, and it enacted that California would be admitted as a free state, and the rest of the territory would be divided into Utah and New Mexico, which would decide their slavery status by popular sovereignty. Though southerners were not necessarily appeased, and to appease them, a stricter fugitive slave law was enacted. The Compromise also settled the boundaries of the new state of Texas. Though California's admission as a free state upset the balance of free and slave states, the southerners were also appeased by the popular sovereignty in the new territories. With all of the new states being brought to the union, it eventually led to popular sovereignty which decided if the new states would be slave or free states.

The Mexican War

llandi6613 — 2025-09-22 15:11:48 UTC

The Mexican war was in 1846 it was based on President Polk wanting to expand their land. Once Texas became part of the United States there began the question of Where the border actually stood? Therefore, the United States troops end up crossing the border into Mexican soil which caused the Mexicans to start firing at the American troops. Even though the U.S. was expanding more and over taking land up the West Coast the Mexican government did not surrender but continued to fight. Once the United States realized this they sent out American troops to the heart of Mexico which soon caused the Mexican government to surrender. the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848). The Native Americans had a conflicting opinion on the Mexican war because the Mexicans did not treat the Native Americans with respect instead they were very discriminative towards them. The Mexican War, gave America new land, which grew sectionalism, which was mainly regarded over slave and free states.

Kansas and Nebraska Act

tbrownle8723 — 2025-09-22 15:14:09 UTC

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was enacted in 1854. Senator Douglas wanted support for a railroad from the Midwest to California. In order to achieve this, he had to repeal the Missouri Compromise and replace it. It created two new territories that would have popular sovereignty on the issue of slavery, to appease the south on slavery. The Kansas-Nebraska Act, sparked the Dred Scott decision because it created a political crisis by allowing popular sovereignty, which Dred Scott case tried to solve.

Dred Scott Decision

tbrownle8723 — 2025-09-22 15:18:53 UTC

Dred Scott v. Sandford was decided in 1857. It was meant to resolve the question of slavery after Dred Scott had lived in a free state with his owner, and his owner died. The Supreme Court had decided that because Scott was a Black man, he was not considered a U.S. citizen and had no right to sue in a U.S. court. This ruling brought many protests from Northerners and abolitionists. The Dred Scott decision influenced John Brown's Raid, because it made abolitionists more angry about the status of slavery in the country.

Popular sovereignty

llandi6613 — 2025-09-23 01:49:24 UTC

Popular sovereignty is when the people are given the right to decide. Popular sovereignty began in 1840 and also contributed in The Compromise of 1850. During this period they used popular sovereignty to vote on if they should allow slavery or not. The southern slaveholders were very opposed to this because they were mainly "built" off of slaves and their work. Popular Sovereignty greatly influenced the Kansas-Nebraska Act, because it gave the states a chance in the Louisiana Territory to be slave states.

John Brown's Raid

tbrownle8723 — 2025-09-23 01:53:47 UTC

In 1859, John Brown and a group of men attempted to raid a federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry. They did this as a protest to slavery, and in a hope to get weapons to lead a slave uprising throughout the South. 17 people lost their life in the raid, and was quickly brought down by Robert E. Lee. Southerners had felt that it was an act of terrorism, while some in the North saw him as martyr but rejected violence. John Browns raid deepened the division, and helped spread sectionalism in the United States, which influenced the win of Abraham Lincoln in 1860.

Attack on Fort Sumter

tbrownle8723 — 2025-09-23 02:12:59 UTC

The attack on Fort Sumter, was on April 12th, 1861. This was the first act, which basically commenced the Civil War, when confederate troops attacked Fort Sumter which was in South Carolina, which was considered apart of confederate territory now. The north had saw this is an attack on the Union, and a call for total arms, while the south saw this as triumph and as a long awaited victory for state's rights.

Election of Abraham Lincoln

llandi6613 — 2025-09-23 02:19:58 UTC

This election took place in 1860 which involved 3 other candidate's Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell. Although all of them had different beliefs due to the fact that Abraham was able to expand in other ways and get his votes. The votes were very surrounded around slavery and if the people supported it or if they willing to give up slavery. The northern abolitionist weren't sure if they were fond of this election or if they were against it because they knew that Abraham Lincoln wouldn't immediately try to stop slavery like they wanted him to. Due to this election the people were now forced to pick sides for the fate of what would happen. With the election of 1860, the southern states seceded, and the attack on Fort Sumter was the first attack in the Civil War.