The Coming of
the Civil War
Background Info
 1776 – Continental Congress adopted the
Declaration of Independence
 Declaration of Independence ignored the
issue of slavery
 1776 – 1783 13 Colonies fought for
independence from GB
 1789 – USA adopted the Constitution
 Constitution ignored the issue of slavery
1787 Northwest Ordinance
 organized land north of the Ohio River into
5 territories (OH, IN, IL, MI, WI)
land north of the Ohio R. was to be “free”
territory/states
land south of the Ohio R. was to be “slave”
territory/states
More Expansion
 1803 – Jefferson purchased Louisiana
Territory from France
 west of the Mississippi River to the Rocky
Mountains, north of Texas
 Slave owners began to take their “property”
west of the Mississippi River
 1812 – 1815 War of 1812
 USA hoped to gain Canadian territory
Missouri Statehood
 1819 MO applied for statehood as a slave state
two problems:
part of Missouri was north of the Ohio River
admission of Missouri as a slave state would alter the
“balance of power” in the Senate
the issue:
North did not want slavery to spread, South did
Neither section wanted to lose power in Congress
Task One
Missouri Compromise
1820 Congress approved Clay’s plan
Missouri admitted as a slave state
Maine admitted as a free state
36o 30’ line of latitude drawn to determine
future slave and free territories and states
kept USA together but the slavery issue was not
resolved…neither side was completely happy
…stuff…
 1800 – 1850 USA economy developed
through the Industrial Revolution
 1820 – 1850 US settlers moved west in
search of new lands…“manifest destiny”
 1828 – 1836 USA experienced “Jacksonian
Democracy” and “Indian Removal”
Second Great Awakening
 1810–1850 USA experienced a religious revival
Protestant Christian camp meeting movement
to revitalize Christian attitudes and spirit
people returned to church and “traditional values”
became concerned with the evils of alcohol
became concerned with immorality of slavery
Abolitionists began strong protests to end
slavery
Turner’s Rebellion
 1831 Nat Turner (VA slave and preacher) started a revolt
killed c. 55 white people
were arrested two days later, tried, and executed
c. 200 innocent slaves were also killed
white communities passed stricter slave codes
Southern states tried to prevent abolitionists and abolitionist
materials from entering their states
the Underground Railroad
 c. 1000 slaves escaped to the North and
Canada each year (north = the Ohio River)
many slaves traveled alone
many used the Underground Railroad system
most famous “conductor” was Harriet
Tubman
Southern states demanded that Congress
prevent the loss of their “property”
Congressional “Gag Rule”
 for years, Congress argued about what to do
about slavery
 1836 Congress decided to “table” all
discussions about slavery
“table” means not to discuss an issue
abolitionists called this the “gag rule”
in force from 1836 - 1848
Texas
 1820s Americans began moving into TX, some
took their slaves
 1836 Americans in TX declared (and fought
for) their independence from Mexico
 1846 US annexed TX
 1846 – 1848 US fought the Mexican War
 1848 Mexican Cession gave America TX plus
CA, NM, AZ, UT, NV
California Statehood
 1849 CA applied for statehood as a free state
two problems:
CA was both north and south of the 36o 30’ line
 CA would alter the “balance of power” in the Senate
the issue:
North did not want slavery to spread
neither side wanted to lose power in Congress
the South was running out of “new” land
Task Two
Compromise of 1850
 1850 Congress approved Clay’s plan
California admitted as a free state
New Mexico & Utah could be slave territories
Slave trade was banned in Washington, DC
new, tougher Fugitive Slave Law passed
kept USA together but it did not resolve the slavery
issue again…neither side was completely happy...again
Fugitive Slave Law
Northern government officials must help catch runaway
slaves & return them to the South
failing to stop a runaway = $1,000 fine and 6-months of
jail time
 ex slaves felt unsafe in the North, moved to Canada if
they could
slave hunters roamed about to catch runaways
 most Northerners disliked law, refused to obey it, some
continued to help runaways
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
 1852 written by Harriet Beecher Stowe
a novel about the South & the cruelty of slavery
HBS lived in New England and in Cincy, OH
HBS was an abolitionist; married an abolitionist
HBS visited KY, never visited the deep South
 book infuriated the South, enflamed the North
End day two
the Kansas-Nebraska Act
 1854 Illinois Senator Stephen A. Douglas introduced
the Kansas-Nebraska Act
tried to organize the territory west of MO
wanted to build a railroad from IL to CA ($)
K-N Act based on theory of “popular sovereignty”
the people of Kansas and Nebraska could decide
whether to be slave or free…vote
Popular Sovereignty
three problems:
Kansas and Nebraska were both north of 36o 30’
North did not want slave states north of 36o 30’
South did not want more free states in Senate
the Kansas-Nebraska Act passed
Results of the
Kansas-Nebraska Act
farmers looking for good soil rushed into KS
Abolitionists paid Northern farmers to move in
Southerners paid slave-owners to move in
another problem:
1855 a pro-slavery legislature was elected
1856 an anti-slavery legislature was elected
Bleeding Kansas
 May 21, 1856 pro-slavery men raided
Lawrence, KS
 May 24, 1856 anti-slavery men raided
Pottawatomie, KS
fighting was called “Bleeding Kansas”
Fall of 1856 President Pierce ordered US
Army to stop the “civil war”
The Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave owned by a US Army doc
in 1830s Scott was taken by his master to Illinois and
Wisconsin
IL was a free state, WI was a free territory
doctor moved to MO then LA, two slave states
1847 Scott (with help from some abolitionist lawyers)
sued for his freedom
case eventually went to the US Supreme Court
Task Three
Supreme Court Decision
 1857 Supreme Court Chief Justice Roger Taney
wrote the majority opinion:
slaves (African-Americans) were not citizens …
therefore they could not sue in a US Court
slaves were “property”…therefore owners
could take them anywhere, anytime
Congress cannot forbid slavery in any territory
 the South rejoiced, the North went ballistic
1858 Illinois Senate Election
Democratic candidate was Stephen Douglas
well-known, politically powerful
believed in popular sovereignty
Republican candidate was Abraham Lincoln
unknown, politically weak
believed slavery should not spread
Lincoln – Douglas Debates
Candidates held seven debates in seven cities
 to help people of IL decide whom to vote for
the speeches of both men were printed in
newspapers around the country
Douglas won the election…but…
Lincoln gained national fame and recognition
John Brown’s Raid
 1859 abolitionist, John Brown wanted to start a
slave rebellion
Brown and 18 men attacked US Army arsenal at
Harper’s Ferry, VA
Col. Robert E. Lee, and US Marines sent to stop
Brown
Brown’s team was arrested, tried, and executed
 Northern abolitionists applauded Brown’s efforts,
Southerners went ballistic
Election of 1860
 Four candidates ran for president
 Abraham Lincoln, Republican from IL won
 within weeks, 7 Southern states declared their
independence (formed the Confederate States of
America)
Election of 1860
some historians suggest the
election of Lincoln as president
was a cause of the Civil War…
End day three