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Mum Bett Case
A case in which Mum Bett, and enslaved person, took her enslaver to court, arguing that all people are equal. This case was a step for the abolitionist movement, because it proved that an enslaved person could be set free. Because of this, many enslaved people started to take their enslavers to court. -
3/5 Compromise
The ⅗ compromise made it so each enslaved person was worth ⅗ of an actual person. This might have been a cause contributing to the start of the Civil War because enslaved people had less rights. Along with this, the southern states had more representation. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance established a type of government for the states in the Northwest. The Northwest Ordinance established a type of government for the states in the Northwest. This was a contributing factor to the Civil War because it established the idea of slave vs. free states. This led to conflict over slavery. -
Creation of the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented the Cotton Gin, which was an invention in order to speed up the process of removing dirt from cotton. This made it much quicker to harvest cotton. The invention of the cotton gin was a step backwards for enslaved people. After the invention of the Cotton Gin, the amount of enslaved people increased, especially in the southern states. -
Second Great Awakening
During the Second Great Awakening, many women and enslaved people followed the ideas of religion much more than they did before. They would go to revivals, which were these big events where religion would be preached. The Second Great Awakening made it so women and enslaved people spoke out more. This indirectly was a cause of the Civil War because it gave many people, including enslaved people, the power to speak out. -
Louisiana Purchase
When Thomas Jefferson, the current president at the time, purchased the Louisiana/middle territory from France. He bought it for $15,000,000.
The Louisiana Purchase indirectly caused the Civil War because it established the precedent that new land could be bought from other states. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise in order to decide whether Missouri would be a slave or free state. To settle this, the government decided to bring in Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. The Missouri Compromise was a factor in the Civil War because it increased tensions over slavery. This happened because it contributed to the idea of slave and free states. -
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
An enslaved man named Nat Turner staged a rebellion against his enslavers. This rebellion killed at least 55 white people. The results of this rebellion made it so that black people got even more oppressed, with slavery growing more. Many white people were worried that what happened would happen to them. This increased tensions over slavery. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War was a war in which Mexico and America fought after the Texas Annexation. They fought over the land of Texas and a border dispute. The Mexican-American War contributed to the Civil War because it added Texas, which ended up being a slave state. This caused tensions over slavery. -
California Gold Rush
The California Gold Rush was a period of time when many people travelled to California in order to search for gold. The California Gold Rush was a factor in starting the Civil War because after, California applied for statehood, and there was a debate on whether it should be a free or slave state. This debate raised tensions on slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 were five issues resolved in America. These issues included California’s status on slavery, if slaves should be sold in D.C., boundaries regarding Texas, the fugitive slave law, and if New Mexico and Utah should get to have popular sovereignty.
The compromise of 1850 led to the Civil War because it increased tensions between the north and the south. The fugitive slave act was a big factor in this divide because it made people in the north do things they were against. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act popularized the idea of popular sovereignty. This made it so the residents of a state could vote on issues regarding slavery. This led to a conflict between people in America.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act led to “Bleeding Kansas”, an event that set off the tensions that caused the Civil War. This increased tensions over slavery and disagreement overall. -
Frederick Douglass gives July 4th Speech
At a 4th of July celebration, Frederick Douglass, an activist against slavery, gave a speech. This speech said that the idea of celebrating a holiday that represents freedom shows the hypocrisy of America because there are people who are enslaved and do not have freedom. Douglass’s speech took part of the tensions that arose about slavery. However, this was not a direct cause of the Civil War. -
“Bleeding Kansas”
“Bleeding Kansas” occured when Kansas was a newer state, and it was being decided on whether Kansas should be a slave or free state. During the vote, many people from other sides of America filled the ballot boxes and voted, even though they were not residents of Kansas. This caused the Civil War because it increased tensions over slavery. The amount of people messing up the voting for Kansas’s stance on slavery caused disagreements that eventually led to the Civil War. -
Attack on Charles Sumner
During a debate on the Senate floor, a South Carolina representative attacked a representative for Massachusetts. This attack was over the issue of slavery This event contributed to the Civil War because it was one of the first acts of political violence involving slavery. This event escalated the issues regarding slavery. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott, a man who was enslaved since birth, spent most of the time with his enslaver, a man who travelled to other states. One of the states that he travelled to was a free state, and Dred Scott argued that since he lived in a free state, then he should be free. The outcome of this case was that Dred Scott was not a free man and was still considered a slave. This raised tensions over slavery because it sent the idea that enslaved people weren’t people, and that they were just property. -
Raid on Harper’s Ferry
John Brown, a man who had very strong opinions on slavery, staged an attack in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. The point of this raid was to protest against slavery. In this raid, many people were killed. Because of this raid, John Brown later went to jail and was executed. This action led to the Civil War because it increased the tensions between the north and the south. This was also an act of violence about slavery, so the tensions were heightened. -
Election of 1860
In the Election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a moderate, was running for president. However, Lincoln was not on the ballot in the southern states, but he still ended up winning. The Election of 1860 proved itself to be a breaking point for the southern states. After this election, some of the southern states left the union, which led to the Civil War. -
Southern Secession
The Southern Secession was when 11 states threatened to leave the U.S. due to the election of Abraham Lincoln. This event was the cause of the Civil War because it divided the U.S. into two sides. This side ended up fighting against the north in the Civil War. -
Shots fired at Ft. Sumter
This was the official start of the fighting in the American Civil War. Union troops (Northern troops) stationed at Fort. Sumter in South Carolina were attacked by the South Carolina militia. Union lost and surrendered the fort to the Confederate militia.
Unlike previous acts of violence, this was the first time violence broke out between organized military units. Fighting in the Civil War would continue for 4 more years after this event. -
Industrial Revolution
When America industrialized itself, goods in America started to get produced in factories, mainly located in the north. The industrial revolution was one of the causes of the Civil War because it made the north and south much different. The north had a lot of factories and was industrialized, meanwhile the south only had enslaved people.