Causes of the Civil War

Essential Question: How did the nation try but fail to deal with growing sectional differences?

-  What political, social, and economic factors caused the Civil War?

-  What were the conflicting perspectives on slavery?

-  What kind of nation did the founding fathers create?

-  What is to be done with the institution of slavery?

-  Must sectionalism ultimately lead to disunion?

ESSENTIALQUESTIONS

To understand the series of events and resulting conditions that led to the American Civil War

To understand how different experiences, beliefs, values, traditions, and motives cause individuals and groups to interpret historic events and issues from different perspectives

To participate in a negotiating and compromising role-playing activity that mirrors the attempts at political compromise in the 1850s

objectives

Manifest Destiny brought new lands into the US- making the US bigger

This causes problemsCan there be slavery in the new lands or not?

Slavery Divides a Nation

Nationalism (loyalty /pride to your country) is replaced by the idea of sectionalism

Sectionalism = loyalty/ pride to a part/region of a country

“A house divided against itself cannot stand.’ I believe this government cannot endure permanently half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease too be divided. It will become all one thing, or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it…or its (supporters) will push it forward till it shall become…lawful in all the states, old as well as new, North as well as South.” A. Lincoln

What point is Lincoln making about the future of America?

How does this fit in with the idea of sectionalism vs. nationalism?

Due to the new lands from Manifest Destiny and the idea of sectionalism – the US will need to make several compromises each time a new state wants to enter the Union (The United States)

The following causes will lead the US into the Civil War !

The issue of States Rights will be at the center of the causes of the Civil War

States Rights = the idea where the states can limit the power of the federal gov’t and make their own laws

The southern states felt they should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding if their state has slavery or not. They also felt this right should apply to new states as well.

1. States Rights

1819: power in Congress was tied(11 slave states and 11 free states)

Missouri wants to be a state (slave) which would give the south a majority (there would be more slave states then free)

2. Missouri Compromise

Made a compromise (agreement) [keep things equal] Missouri- admitted as a slave state Maine – admitted as a free state Imaginary line at 36°30´N which made all the

land above the line free and land below the line slave (BUT this applied only to Louisiana Purchase lands!)

Oh No!- Now California wants to be a

State?

New agreement between North and South - this time over slavery in Manifest Destiny lands west of L.P.California = a free stateSlavery allowed in Mexican Cession lands

End slave trade in Wash. D. C. Much stricter runaway slave law

3. Compromise of 1850

1850 Runaway slaves MUST be returned to the south By law, all Americans were required to help catch runaway slaves

If not- Fined $1,000 and jail time

*** judges are paid more to return a person to the south than to saythey can stay in north ($10 for each slave returned)

4. Fugitive Slave Act

Book by Harriet Beecher Stowe= showed how bad slavery could be /was in the South

North - Upset about treatment of slaves abolitionists (gained support)

South Outraged !

thought it was an unfair representation of life on plantations- not all slave owners were like the master in the Book

5. Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Got rid of Missouri Compromise (land was above M. Compromise line and should NOT have allowed slavery )

Divided the territory into 2 parts (Kansas and Nebraska)

Idea of popular sovereignty= People could vote (decide) if there will be slavery or not

6. Kansas- Nebraska Act

Conflicts in Kansas due to popular sovereignty (Voting whether to have slavery in territory

or not) Violence and killing between pro slavery

people and anti slavery people for 3 years

Over 200 people died in the fighting

7. Bleeding Kansas

In 1856, an abolitionist named John Brown murdered five proslavery men

(we will be hearing about Brown again)

Violence moves into the government at this time too … and there were violent attacks in the Senate!

Formed in 1854Goal = to keep slavery out of the west (stop

the spread of slavery) Some hoped to end slavery in the south (no

slavery in US)

Most famous republican of the time is Abraham Lincoln (thought idea of slavery was wrong)

8. Republican Party

Facts: Dred Scott was a slave who’s owner moved to free territory and then back to a slave state where owner died; anti- slavery lawyers filed a lawsuit that said because Scott lived in free land he was free

9. Dred Scott Decision

Case went to the Supreme Court: Supreme Court Decisions:

Slaves are NOT citizens- they do not have the right to sue. Slaves are considered property

Living in a free territory does not make a slave free (slaves are for life unless set free by their owner)

Congress has NO right to outlaw slavery in any territory (makes idea of Missouri compromise unconstitutional)

Results of Dred Scott Case: Western lands were now open to

slavery based on popular sovereignty

In 1859 John Brown and his followers seized a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia

US troops stopped raid; Brown was caught and sentenced to death by hanging

10. John Brown/ Harper’s Ferry

North: saw Brown as a hero; used him as propaganda to help gather more abolitionists

South: Brown was an example of what could happen to those who try to help slaves

4 men running for President (split by sectionalism) Douglas (Northern Dem.)Breckenridge (Southern Dem.)Bell (Union)Lincoln (Republican)

South thought that if Lincoln won- they would lose STATES RIGHTS on issue of slaveryAbility of states to make their own

decisions (laws)(in reality Lincoln said he did not want to

interfere with slavery in the south)Lincoln wins!

11. Election of 1860

Lincoln becomes president

In response to Lincoln’s win, Southern States secede or leave the Union in 1861

Form CSA (Confederate States of America)

12.Southern States Secede

Union fort on CSA land (island off of S.C.)

Union Army will NOT leave! Lincoln sent more supplies to the fortApril 12, 1861- Confederate Army

attacked the fort!1st fight/ shots of the Civil War !

Fort Sumter, South Carolina

War!