Causes of the Civil War by Brady McConnell

Sectionalism

mcconbra — 2025-04-15 14:23:13 UTC

The favoring of interests of one section/region over the entire country.

Wilmot Proviso

mcconbra — 2025-04-15 14:23:19 UTC

A document created by northerner David Wilmot stating that slavery shall not exist in any part of territory.

Free Soil Party

mcconbra — 2025-04-15 14:24:17 UTC

Anti-slavery northerners that supported the Wilmot Proviso.

Fugitive Slave Act

mcconbra — 2025-04-15 14:28:57 UTC

A law passed that made it a crime to help out escaped slaves in free areas. It also allowed officials to arrest those slaves.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

mcconbra — 2025-04-15 14:32:01 UTC

An antislavery novel which spoke out powerfully against slavery, and was written by the daughter of Connecticut's minister.

Kansas- Nebraska Act

mcconbra — 2025-04-15 14:34:42 UTC

A plan that would divide the remainder of the Louisiana Purchase into Kansas, and Nebraska. This would then allow the people in each territory to decide on slavery.

Pottawatomie Massacre

mcconbra — 2025-04-16 14:12:08 UTC

Abolitionist John Brown and his men killed 5 pro-slavery men along the Pottawatomie Creek on May 24th, 1856 in Kansas.

Formation of the Republican Party

mcconbra — 2025-04-16 14:15:09 UTC

A political party that was formed in 1854 that was against the spread of slavery in the west.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

mcconbra — 2025-04-16 14:19:14 UTC

Abe Lincoln was nominated in 1858 to run for the U.S. senate by Illinois Republicans. He went up against Democrat Stephen Douglas. Lincoln stressed that democrats would soon spread slavery across the nation, and the Dred Scott decision.

Dred Scott Decision

mcconbra — 2025-04-16 14:23:10 UTC

The case of Scott V. Stanford was a supreme court case in 1857 that ruled slaves not U.S. citizens, and were not able to sue in federal court.

Freeport Doctrine

mcconbra — 2025-04-16 14:26:07 UTC

After the Dred Scott Decision, this put the question slavery back in the hands of American Citizens. This helped Douglas win the Senate seat, yet Lincoln would become a strong leader for the Republican Party.

John Brown's Raid

mcconbra — 2025-04-16 14:28:44 UTC

John Brown and his men raided Harper's Ferry, Virginia on October 16th, 1859. They took over the arsenal in hopes of starting a slave rebellion.

Confederate States of America

mcconbra — 2025-04-16 14:31:36 UTC

Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, and Georgia formed the Confederacy on December 20th, 1860. This gave the rights to the citizens of the states to own slaves.