Causes of the Civil War by Ross Wolf

Fugitive Slave Act

wolfros — 2025-04-15 19:25:58 UTC

The Fugitive Slave Acts were federal laws, passed in 1793 and 1850, that allowed slave owners to reclaim runaway slaves, even in free states, and penalized anyone who assisted them.

New Land Renews Slavery Disputes

wolfros — 2025-04-15 19:26:03 UTC

The United States added more than 500,000 square miles of land as a result of winning the Mexican-American War in 1848.

Compromise of 1850

wolfros — 2025-04-15 19:26:06 UTC

The Compromise of 1850 was a series of five laws passed to address the issue of slavery in newly acquired territories from the Mexican-American War.

Antislavery Literature

wolfros — 2025-04-15 19:27:54 UTC

Abolitionist literature encompasses a variety of written works, including slave narratives, essays, poems, novels, and pamphlets, all aimed at exposing the injustices of slavery and advocating for its abolition.

Election of 1852

wolfros — 2025-04-15 19:29:59 UTC

Four leading candidates for the Demo-

cratic presidential nomination emerged

in 1852. It became clear that none of

them would win a majority of votes.

Frustrated delegates at the Democratic

National Convention turned to Franklin

Pierce, a little-known politician from

New Hampshire.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act

wolfros — 2025-04-15 19:31:36 UTC

In his inaugural address, President Pierce expressed his hope that the

slavery issue had been put to rest and that no sectional excitement

may again threaten the durability stability of our institutions.

Bleeding Kansas

wolfros — 2025-04-16 19:12:38 UTC

Bleeding Kansas refers to the violent period from 1854 to 1859 in Kansas, where intense conflict erupted between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces over the question of whether the territory would enter the Union as a free or slave state.

Dred Scott Decision

wolfros — 2025-04-16 19:17:46 UTC

Just two days after Buchanan became president, the Supreme Court issued

a historic ruling about slavery. News of the decision threw the country

back into crisis. The Court reviewed and decided the complex case involv-

ing an enslaved man

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

wolfros — 2025-04-16 19:18:59 UTC

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

In 1858 Illinois Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln for the U.S.

Senate. His opponent was Democrat Stephen Douglas, who had repre-

sented Illinois in the Senate since 1847.

Raid on Harpers Ferry

wolfros — 2025-04-16 19:21:19 UTC

In 1858 John Brown tried to start an uprising. He wanted to

attack the federal arsenal in Virginia and seize weapons there.

He planned to arm local slaves. Brown expected to kill or take

hostage white southerners who stood in his way.

Election of 1860

wolfros — 2025-04-16 19:22:17 UTC

In this climate of distrust, Americans prepared for another presidential

election in 1860. The northern and southern Democrats could not agree

on a candidate. Northern Democrats chose Senator Stephen Douglas.

Southern Democrats backed the current vice president.

The South Secedes

wolfros — 2025-04-16 19:23:10 UTC

Lincoln insisted that he would not change slavery in the South. However,

he said that slavery could not expand and thus would eventually die out

completely. That idea angered many southerners.

Political Parties Undergo Change

wolfros — 2025-04-16 19:25:23 UTC

Some Whigs, Democrats, Free-Soilers, and

abolitionists joined in 1854 to form the Republican Party, a

political party united against the spread of slavery

in the West.