Events Leading to the Civil War
Slavery & Civil War Review
#1: TRUE or FALSE
At the time of the writing of the Constitution,
the number one crop grown in the South was
cotton.
FALSE. It was tobacco.
Slavery & Civil War Review
#2: TRUE or FALSE
At the time of the writing of the Constitution,
many Americans believed that the slave
system would die out on its own.
TRUE.
Slavery & Civil War Review
#3: What invention suddenly made growing
cotton much more profitable?
The cotton gin.
Trial of tears
•Total U.S.
population was 3.5
million…
•700,000 slaves in
the U.S. at this
time.
•Still bought slaves
through the slave
trade.
Trial of tears
•Total U.S.
population was 18
million
•2 million slaves in
the U.S. at this time.
•1808, importation
of slaves was illegal
•Slave trade within
the U.S.
•Increase of slave
population was
from natural
reproduction
Trial of tears
1860
33 million U.S. population, 4 million slaves in the South
Slavery & Civil War Review
#4: TRUE or FALSE
Over 50% of Southern families owned at
least one slave.
FALSE. 75% of Southern families
didn’t own any slaves at all!
Life Under Slavery
–Slaves could not leave owners’ land
–Could not buy or sell goods
–Not allowed to learn to read or write
–Treated as property
The Civil War: Episode 1
The Cause 13:50-22:40
Slavery Review
#5: TRUE or FALSE
Many slaves resisted slavery in one way or
another.
TRUE.
#6: How?
Fighting Back
– Most resisted slavery
– Quiet ways they resisted:
• Learned to read
• Broke tools
• Left gates open to let the farm animals out
• Faked illness
• Hid stuff the owners needed and acted like
they knew nothing about it at all
Escape
– Many chose to run away
– Found safe places to hide
• Indians protected some
• Some made it to the free North, some to Canada and others went
south to Mexico
• Many were helped by the Underground Railroad
Violent Resistance
A Series of Controversies Lead North and South
CLOSER AND CLOSER
TO
CIVIL WAR
Controversy Over Missouri
Free States
11
Louisiana
Territory
Slave States
11
The Situation: The year is 1820. The debate over statehood
for Missouri is getting hotter day by day. To complicate
matters, Maine has just applied for admission to the union
as well. Your job is to find a way to settle this controversy
that is acceptable to both the North and the South.
Louisiana
Territory
The North’s Starting Position
• Supports statehood for
Missouri and Maine as free
states.
• Does NOT want slavery to
expand into Louisiana
Territory.
• Opposes any solution that
makes more slave states
than free states.
The South’s Starting Position
• Supports statehood for
Missouri as a slave state
• Believes slaveholders have
the right to settle in ANY
new territory.
• Opposes any solution that
makes more free states
than slave states.
Your compromise should address these key questions:
• Should Missouri be admitted to the union as a slave state, a free
state, or not at all?
• What stand, if any, should Congress take on the spread of slavery
across Louisiana Territory?
• What should Congress do about Maine’s request for statehood?
What really happened:
The Missouri Compromise of 1820
Free
States
12
Slave
States
12
1. Missouri
admitted
as a slave state.
2. Maine
admitted
as a free state.
3. Slavery was
outlawed above
the 36⁰30’ line of latitude
Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1830)
Led an attack killing 57 people
He and others were caught, tried in court,
and hanged
Southern attitudes about slavery hardened
Mexican-American War (1846-48)
• U.S. picked a fight with its weak neighbor to gain territory
• After a brief war, the U.S. took HALF of Mexico’s total land
area
The stolen land had the potential to become a battleground over the slavery issue,
but there were very few people there and it didn’t appear to be an immediate issue.
But then came . . .
GOLD!
The Situation:
It is 1850. Congress is in an uproar
over California and slavery. You will
need all your skills as a compromiser
to settle this conflict and keep the
union from flying apart.
The North’s Starting Position
• Supports statehood for
California as a free state.
• Wants to ban slavery in New
Mexico and Utah territories.
• Demands an end to slavery
and the slave trade in
Washington, DC.
• Opposes any fugitive
(runaway) slave law that
would endanger runaways.
The South’s Starting Position
• Opposes letting free states gain a
majority in the Senate; reluctant
to allow California admission to
the union unless other territories
are open to slavery.
• Believes slavery must be allowed
to expand into Utah and New
Mexico.
• Believes Congress has no power
to meddle with slavery where it
already exists.
• Demands a strong fugitive slave
law to help track down
runaways.
Your compromise should address these key questions:
• Should California be admitted to the union as a free state?
• What stand, if any, should Congress take on the future of slavery in New
Mexico and Utah territories?
• Should Congress pass a strong new fugitive slave law?
The Compromise of 1850
1.
2. Open to possible slavery
4. Slavery
to continue in DC,
but slave trade
banned there
3. Stronger Fugitive
Slave Law
Harriet
Beecher
Stowe
1811 - 1896
So this is the lady who
started the Civil War.
--Abraham Lincoln
Uncle Tom’s
Cabin
1852
• Sold 300,000 copies
in the first year.
• Sold 2 million in a
decade!
“Brooks v. Sumner” 1856
Rep. Preston Brooks
(D-SC)
Sen. Charles Sumner
(R-MA)
1854
The KansasNebraska Act
opens up two
territories to
“popular
sovereignty”
Bleeding
Kansas
(1856-58)
56 people
brutally killed
Large #s of Pro-slavery &
Anti-slavery advocates
Flock to Kansas
The Situation:
The Supreme Court is considering the case of
Dred Scott, a slave who is suing for his freedom.
Consider the arguments on each question in this
difficult case. Then come up with a decision you
can all live with.
Dred Scott Case (1857)
5. Ft.
Snelling, MN
(1 year)
4. Rock
Island, IL
(3 years)
6. Back to
St. Louis
1. Born
in VA
3. St.
Louis, MO
2. Cotton
plantation in AL
The North’s Starting Position
• The Constitution does not
limit citizenship to white
people; African Americans
have legal rights.
• By taking Scott to free
territory, his owner gave up
his right to treat Scott as a
slave.
• Congress can make laws
banning slavery in territories.
The South’s Starting Position
• Scott was born a slave, not a
citizen, and has no right to
sue.
• Scott returned to Missouri
with his owner as a slave and
should continue to be treated
as a slave under Missouri law.
• Under the Constitution,
Congress cannot make laws
that deny people the use of
their property (including
slaves) anywhere, including
the territories.
Your compromise should address these key questions:
• Is Scott a citizen with the right to sue in federal court?
• Did Scott’s visit to a free territory make him a free man?
• Should Congress be able to ban slavery in the territories?
The Dred Scott Decision (1857)
1. Scott is not a citizen, so he has no right to sue
in court.
2. Slaves are property and can be brought
anywhere; therefore, the Missouri Compromise
of 1820 is unconstitutional
3. Congress cannot make laws banning slavery
in the territories
John Brown’s Raid on
Harper’s Ferry, Virginia (1859)
New President
• Abraham Lincoln
elected President of
the United States in
1860
• During the election,
he had spoken out
strongly against the
spread of slavery and
hoped that one day it
would end.
Secession!