Causes of the Civil War by Leah Doll

Compromise of 1850

2025-04-16 16:02:26 UTC

The Compromise of 1850 is a set of 5 laws passed in September 1850 that addressed the issue of slavery in newly acquired territories following the Mexican-American War.

Fugitive Slave Act

2025-04-16 16:02:53 UTC

The Fugitive Slave Act made it a crime to help runaway slaves and allowed officials to arrest those slaves in free areas.

Antislavery Literature

2025-04-16 16:04:05 UTC

Antislavery Literature is a body of writing, including novels, essays, poetry, and pamphlets, produced in the 18th and 19th centuries that opposed slavery and advocated for its abolition.

Election of 1852

2025-04-16 16:04:51 UTC

The election marked the end of the Second Party System, as the Whig Party ceased to function as a national party following this election. Democrats won the presidency (Franklin Peirce).

The Kansas-Nebraska Act

2025-04-16 16:05:30 UTC

The Kansas-Nabraska Act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and controversially allowed residents to decide whether or not to permit slavery through "popular sovereignty."

Bleeding Kansas

2025-04-16 16:05:56 UTC

The Bleeding Kansas is the period of intense violence and conflict in the Kansas Territory between 1854 and 1861, primarily due to the debate over the legality of slavery in the new territory

Uncle Toms Cabin

2025-04-16 16:07:03 UTC

In Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe shared ideas about the injustices of slavery, pushing back against dominant cultural beliefs about the physical and emotional capacities of black people. Stowe became a leading voice in the anti-slavery movement, and yet, her ideas about race were complicated.

Lincoln-Douglas Debate

2025-04-16 16:08:02 UTC

Lincoln-Douglas Debate was a debate that Lincoln challenged Douglas in what became the historic Lincoln-Douglas Debate.

Raid on Harpers Ferry

2025-04-16 16:08:49 UTC

John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, which took place from October 16-18, 1859.

Election of 1860

2025-04-16 16:10:06 UTC

The national outcome of the 1860 election gave Lincoln a victory in both the popular vote and the electoral vote, with just under 40 percent of the popular vote, which totaled 1,866,452, and 180 electoral votes.

The South Secedes

2025-04-16 16:11:06 UTC

The Southern states seceded from the United States in late 1860 and early 1861, forming the Confederate States of America. This event led to the American Civil War. The main reasons for secession were the expansion of slavery into new territories and the election of Abraham Lincoln, who opposed slavery.