Causes of the Civil War Susan O’Neill

1. Causes of the Civil WarSusan O’Neill This photo shows the hanging of John Brown for treason, attacking a government arsenal and leading a rebellion against the government.

2. Missouri Compromise

3. Missouri Compromise • Henry Clay, the Great compromiser • Missouri admitted as a slave state • Maine admitted as a free state • US divided at the 36°30' parallel line • States north would be free • State south would be slave EFFECT—in the Senate free state votes and slave state votes were balanced

4. Nat Turner’s Rebellion On August 13, there was an atmospheric disturbance in which the sun appeared bluish-green. This was the final sign, and a week later, on August 21, Turner and six of his men met in the woods to eat a dinner and make their plans. At 2:00 that morning, they set out to the Travis household, where they killed the entire family as they lay sleeping. They continued on, from house to house, killing all of the white people they encountered. Turner's force eventually consisted of more than 40 slaves, most on horseback. …In the end, the rebels had stabbed, shot and clubbed at least 55 white people to death.

5. Nat Turner hid in several different places near the Travis farm, but on October 30 was discovered and captured. His "Confession," dictated to physician Thomas R. Gray, was taken while he was imprisoned in the County Jail. On November 5, Nat Turner was tried in the Southampton County Court and sentenced to execution. He was hanged on November 11. • EFFECT— • Stronger slave codes • Fear among plantation owenrs

6. The Compromise of 1850

7. The Compromise of 1850 NORTH • California is a free state • Slave trade banned in Washington, DC SOUTH • Stronger fugitive slave laws • Sent slave catchers to get slaves • Anyone who hides slaves—jail or fines • New Mexico & Utah Territories-decide for themselves • Popular sovereignty—people choose (slave or free) EFFECT- the senate was no longer balanced in votes between slave and free states

8. Uncle Tom’s Cabinby Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom's Cabin: or Life Among the Lowly • A novel • Life under 3 owners • 2 kind • 1 cruel • Wildly popular in North • Forbidden in the South • EFFECT—Abraham Lincoln remarked, • “So you are the little lady that caused this big war/”

9. States before theKansas-Nebraska Act • The Kansas-Nebraska Act, 1854

10. Kansas-Nebraska Act • The Kansas-Nebraska Act-allowed Kansas & Nebraska to decide whether they wanted slavery • Brought an end to the Missouri Compromise • Became a political issue open for debate and led to formation of the Republican party. • EFFECT • Replaced the Compromise of 1850 • Caused “bleeding Kansas”

11. “Bleeding Kansas” • Nebraska was so far north that its future as a free state was never in question. But Kansas was next to the slave state of Missouri. In an era that would come to be known as "Bleeding Kansas," the territory would become a battleground over the slavery question. • The reaction from the North was immediate. 1,200 New England abolitionists had made the journey to the new territory, armed to fight for freedom. • Rumors had spread through the South that 20,000 Northerners were descending on Kansas, and in November 1854, thousands of armed Southerners, mostly from Missouri, poured over the line to vote for a proslavery congressional delegate. Violence soon erupted, with the anti-slavery forces led by John Brown. The territory earned the nickname "bleeding Kansas" as the death toll rose.

12. Dred Scott Decision 1857 • The case before the court was that of Dred Scott v. Sanford. • Dred Scott, a slave who had lived in the free state of Illinois and the free territory of Wisconsin • When his master died, he was sent back to the slave state of Missouri. • He appealed to the Supreme Court in hopes of being granted his freedom. • Because Scott was black, he was not a citizen and therefore had no right to sue. EFFECT In March of 1857, the United States Supreme Court, declared that all blacks -- slaves as well as free -- were not and could never become citizens of the United States.

13. Lincoln-Douglas Debates The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of formal political debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in a campaign for one of Illinois' two United States Senate seats. Although Lincoln lost the election, these debates launched him into national prominence which eventually led to his election as President of the United States.

14. "Harpers Ferry" Arsenal 1859 • After “Bleeding Kansas” John Brown returned to the east and began to think more seriously about his plan for a war in Virginia against slavery. He sought money to fund an "army" he would lead. On October 16, 1859, he and 21 other men -- 5 blacks and 16 whites -- raided the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. The first report of the raid at Harpers Ferry announced that 250 white abolitionists and a "gang of negroes," all of whom were armed, had control of the Virginia town -- a far cry from the 22 men who actually took part in the raid. • Brown was wounded and quickly captured, and moved to Charlestown, Virginia, where he was tried and convicted of treason. • "No man in America has ever stood up so persistently and effectively for the dignity of human nature. . . ."John Brown was hanged on December 2, 1859. EFFECT John Brown became more powerful in death than in real life.

15. Presidential Election of 1860

16. Lincoln Elected President • Fueled by the ever-growing conflict over the issue of slavery, the North and the South during the 1850s were on a collision course. In response to the 1860 election of an antislavery, Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, eleven southern states seceded from the Union. On April 12, 1861 Confederate forces opened fire on Fort Sumter, SC. The war between the States had begun.

17. The Civil War BeganSouth vs. NorthConfederate States of AmericavUnited States of AmericaCSA v USA