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Events Leading to the Beginning of the Civil War A Summary of Sectional Conflicts, 185 ! 18"1 C#$%&#$'SE #( 185 1. California was admitted to the United States as a free state. The South wanted to di ide California into two states! one sla e and one free. Howe er! as a result of the Compromise of 1"#0! California $and the %old disco ered there in 1"&'( was admitted to the Union as a free state. This made 1) free states and 1# sla e states in the United States. 2. *opular so erei%nty $ otin%( in the Utah and +ew ,e-ico Territories. In the rest of the ,e-ican Cession $land ac.uired after the ,e-ican /ar( the people in these areas would 0e allowed to ote on whether to allow sla ery in their territories. 1efore this! Con%ress had always made that decision. This allowed the possi0ility of sla ery in these territories. 2. Sla e trade was a0olished in /ashin%ton! D.C. *eople could no lon%er openly 0uy and sell sla es in the nation3s capital. Sla ery was still le%al there! 0ut sla e auctions were now ille%al. &. 4u%iti e Sla e 5aw passed 0y Con%ress 6 stron% national $federal( law was passed to help return runaway sla es to their masters. 7 en people in free states were supposed to help capture and return fu%iti e $runaway( sla es or face prison and lar%e fines. /hen a suspected runaway was cau%ht and ta8en to court to determine their identify! the 9ud%e $at the hearin%( recei ed a dou0le fee for findin% in fa or of the master. The 4u%iti e Sla e 5aw was one response to the %rowin% success of the Under%round :ailroad! used 0y Harriet Tu0man to aid hundreds of runaways. UNCLE TOMS CABIN )185*+ 6 +orthern a0olitionist! Harriet 1eecher Stowe! wrote a ery persuasi e no el to descri0e the e ils of sla ery. This 0oo8! Uncle Toms Cabin! told of the sufferin% of 0ra e and 8ind sla es at the hands of cruel and horri0le o erseers and masters. This no el 0ecame a 0est seller in the +orth and was presented in play form at many theaters. The 0oo8 was 0anned in the South! 0ut successfully persuaded many +ortherners to 9oin the a0olitionists and oppose the 4u%iti e Sla e 5aw. In its history! this 0oo8 sold more copies than any other 0oo8 in 6merica 0esides the 1i0le. ,A-SAS!-EB&AS,A AC. )185/+ This law or%ani;ed the new territories of <ansas and +e0ras8a accordin% to the idea of popular so erei%nty $ otin%( to let people in those territories decide for themsel es whether to ha e sla ery in their territories or not. The new law went a%ainst a pre ious law that 0anned sla ery north of ,issouri in new territories of the 5ouisiana *urchase. 1oth the pro=sla ery and anti=sla ery supporters mo ed into <ansas and >cheated? durin% the election. The fi%htin% and 8illin% that occurred %a e the area the nic8name of >1leedin% <ansas? and was a mini=ci il war in that state. +either side really won. &E%0BL'CA- %A&.1 #&2A-'3E4 )185"+ *artly as a response to >1leedin% <ansas?! a new political party was formed. They participated in their first national election in 1"#)! and were defeated. 60olitionists and anti= sla ery +ortherners formed the :epu0lican *arty for the specific purpose of 8eepin% sla ery from spreadin% to any new territories. 1y winnin% state and national elections! they hoped to %ain enou%h political power to ma8e the spread of sla ery ille%al. ,any Southerners misinterpreted the %oals of the party to mean a0olishin% all sla ery in the United States.

200 Houston Independent School District

Secondary Social Studies

4&E4 SC#.. CASE )1855+ 6 sla e! Dred Scott! sued his master for freedom 0ecause he had 0een ta8en to li e in a free territory $/isconsin(. The Supreme Court of the United States $under the leadership of Chief @ustice :o%er 1. Taney( ruled that li in% in a free territory did not ma8e Dred Scott a free man. The Hi%h Court further stated that Dred Scott! in fact! did not e en ha e the ri%ht to sue in the U.S. Courts! and that he was the >property? of his owner with no ci il ri%hts. 4urthermore! this decision went on to say that e en 4ree 1lac8s were not citi;ens of the United States! no matter where they li ed or how lon% they had 0een free. This decision also declared unconstitutional the law that had 0anned sla ery in some United States territories. The Court ruled that since sla es were property and the 4ifth 6mendment to the Constitution protected the ri%ht to own property! Con%ress could not 8eep sla e owners from ta8in% their >property? anywhere in the United States they wanted to %o. The Supreme Court said that only states! not the federal %o ernment! could ma8e laws a0out sla ery. This case was a 0low for a0olitionists and put power 0ehind the states3 ri%hts ar%uments. 6#7- B&#W-8S &A'4 #- .7E A&SE-AL A. 7A&%E&8S (E&&1, 9'&2'-'A )185:+ 6 iolent a0olitionist $one who 0elie ed that it was A< to 8ill sla e owners and cause sla e uprisin%s a%ainst their masters( named @ohn 1rown led a raid a%ainst the United States arsenal $place where %uns are 8ept( at Harper3s 4erry! Bir%inia. His plan was to capture the %uns and distri0ute them to sla es in the surroundin% countryside. These sla es would then 0e armed and could rise up in a re0ellion a%ainst their masters! 8ill them and declare themsel es free. The United States 6rmy! under the command of Colonel :o0ert 7. 5ee! ended the raid 0y surroundin% the arsenal and 8illin% or capturin% the raiders. @ohn 1rown was captured $althou%h many of the other raiders were 8illed(! was put on trial for treason a%ainst the United States! was found %uilty! and was han%ed. AB&A7A$ L'-C#L- WAS ELEC.E4 %&ES'4E-. #( .7E 0;S; )-ovem<er, 18" + th 6 :epu0lican candidate! 60raham 5incoln! was elected the 1) *resident of the United States. He defeated two Democrats $who canceled each other3s otes out(. 6lthou%h he campai%ned on the :epu0lican *latform of 8eepin% sla ery from spreading! many Southerners thou%ht 5incoln was an abolitionist. SECESS'#- A-4 (#&$A.#- #( .7E C#-(E4E&A.E S.A.ES #( A$E&'CA In Decem0er of 1")0! immediately after 5incoln3s election! South Carolina 0ecame the first Southern state to secede $withdraw( from the United States of 6merica. They were followed in Decem0er 1")0 and early in 1")1 0y si- other Southern statesC ,ississippi! 6la0ama! Deor%ia! 4lorida! 5ouisiana! and Te-as. These se en states formed the Confederate States of 6merica. They 0ased their decision on the principles of states rights ar%uin% that they had the free ri%ht to lea e the Union 0ecause they had freely 9oined the Union. Ane of the first thin%s the new %o ernment of the CS6 did was to confiscate all U.S. %o ernment property $post offices! %o ernment 0uildin%s! ta- offices! military 0ases( in the South and demand loyalty to the Confederacy. These states also 0elie ed that when 60raham 5incoln officially 0ecame *resident on E,arch 20! 1")1! he would 0e%in to a0olish sla ery in the South. th th $EnoteC now the U.S. inau%urates the *resident on @anuary 20 0ut in 1")1 it was ,arch 20 (

200 Houston Independent School District

Secondary Social Studies

128
-#&.7 9S; S#0.7, 185 18"1 1efore people %et in ol ed in an all out war! there is usually a series of e ents that ma8e them an%ry. 6s each side %ets more and more an%ry! there is less chance for a peaceful solution. This is a list of e ents that occurred 0etween 1"#0 and 1")1 in the United States. The se.uence of these e ents resulted in the out0rea8 of the Ci il /ar in our country 0etween the +orth and the South. 4or each e ent 0elow! re iew the e ent $usin% the handout Event Leading to War) and tell whether it ma8es the +orth or the South most an%ry. 7-plain why that section of the country would 0e an%ered 0y that e ent. The first e ent! the Compromise of 1"#0! had se eral parts to which the two sides would respond differently. Event 1. The Compromise of 1"#0C California was admitted as a free state. *eople in the ,e-ican Cession could decide for themsel es whether to allow sla ery or not The sla e trade was a0olished in /ashin%ton! DC Con%ress passed the 4u%iti e Sla e 5aw Who got mad= Why=

2. Uncle Toms Cabin was pu0lished in 1"#2.

3. <ansas=+e0ras8a 6ct $1"#&(

&. :epu0lican *arty is formed in 1"#&=#)

200 Houston Independent School District

Secondary Social Studies

Event #. Supreme Court decision on the Dred Scott case $1"#F(

Who got mad=

Why=

). @ohn 1rown3s raid on Harper3s 4erry! B6 $1"#'(

F. 7lection of 60raham 5incoln as *resident of the U.S. $+o em0er! 1")0(

". South Carolina and other southern states secede $Decem0er 1")0 G early 1")1(

'. The Confederate States of 6merica are formed $1")1(

10. Ci il /ar 0e%ins with the shots fired at 4ort Sumter! S.C. 0y Confederate troops on 6pril 12! 1")1.

200 Houston Independent School District

Secondary Social Studies