Chapter 16 Test
Timeline:
Missouri Compromise: 1820 Compromise of 1850: 1850 Fugitive Slave Act: 1850 Kansas-Nebraska Act: 1854 Bleeding Kansas: 1854 Dred-Scott v. Sanford: 1857 Lincoln-Douglas Debates: 1858 Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry: 1859 Election of 1860: 1860 Attack on Fort Sumter: 1861
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a term used to describe Kansas's Civil War and its consequences after the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 caused two separate, warring governments. Because the Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed Kansas to vote on whether or not to have slavery and the vote showed that slavery would be allowed, an opposing, non-slavery government was created and fights broke out. One of these was when supporters of slavery attacked Lawrence, a town that was a anti-slavery stronghold, causing John Brown to retaliate with an attack that killed 5 people. Bleeding Kansas was significant because the fighting caused by anti-slavery and pro-slavery governments was foreshadowing for the Civil War, showing how the two could not peacefully coexist.
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott v. Sanford was a Supreme Court case in 1857 which allowed Chief Justice Roger Taney to announce his opinions on slavery. Dred Scott was a slave and his master took him through free states before returning to Missouri, Dred Scott declared that because he had been in free states, he should be a free man. The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was not free because he was property so he couldn't properly sue his master and the government couldn't take property away without due process, furthermore, it gave Chief Justice Roger Taney the chance to say that this meant that the Constitution fully protected slavery and controlling slavery, as in the Missouri Compromise, was unconstitutional. The Dred Scott v. Sanford case was significant because it gave the Supreme Court the chance to say that slavery was protected by the Constitution, fueling the South's arguments and angering abolitionists.
Election of 1860
In 1860, the candidates to be elected to president were Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, and John C. Breckenridge, and this election allowed Lincoln to take office, leading to the Civil War. The Democrats were split, Northerners backing Stephen Douglas who supported popular sovereignty, and Southerners supporting John C. Breckenridge, who supported slavery, while the Republicans had Abraham Lincoln, who supported no slavery in any new territories but leaving slavery as was otherwise. When Lincoln won the election, the Southerners feared that he was lying and that he would try to abolish slavery, leading South Carolina to secede. The election of 1860 was significant because it allowed Abraham Lincoln take office, causing South Carolina to secede, leading to the Civil War.
Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
On October 16, 1859, John Brown led an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia to raid a federal arsenal to arm slaves. He wanted to arm slaves and start an uprising, for this he was hanged. His hanging and simply the act of bravery itself inspired many abolitionists to take a stand as well. John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry was significant because it inspired many other abolitionists to take action against slavery.
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was an agreement made in 1850 between the Northern and Southern states that made a temporary solution to the issue of slavery. It agreed to allow California to enter as a free state, it banned slave trade in Washington D.C., passed the fugitive slave law and ensured that there were no limits on slavery in new territories. The Compromise of 1850 was significant because it temporarily pleased both the Northern and Southern states, but it put off finding a permanent solution for the issue of slavery.
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was a law passed in 1850 as part of the Compromise of 1850 that required all people to return escaped slaves to their masters, even if they lived in area where slavery was illegal. It caused anger to many Northerners and abolitionists, leading to them to create the Underground Railroad. This was a system where abolitionists or free slaves would help slaves escape to somewhere where they could be free. The Fugitive Slave Act was significant because it was part of temporary solution to slavery and led to the Underground Railroad being created along with tension between the North and South.
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a law passed in 1854 that allowed popular sovereignty, meaning Kansas and Nebraska could vote on whether or not to have slavery. This was a plan suggested by Stephen Douglas from Illinois, because he thought that it would please Northerners and Southerners and it would allow the power to come from the people, even though it angered Northerners because it would allow slavery to be legal in more places.Supporters of slavery and abolition wanted Kansas to vote, attempting to cause Kansas to be a state supporting their beliefs, but when Kansas became a slave state, an anti-slavery government sprung up in Kansas along side the pro-slavery one. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was significant because the Civil War in Kansas caused by the separate governments was a precursor to the Civil War in the United States and it showed how temporary solutions couldn't work in the long run.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of debates in 1858 between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas when they were running to be Illinois senator. The 7 debates were initiated by Lincoln, who was Republican and against slavery, Douglas was a Democrat and was for slavery. The Lincoln-Douglas debates were significant because, although he lost the election, they gained Lincoln a reputation for being well-spoken and clear-minded and gained him popularity.
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement made in 1820 by the Northern and Southern states that preserved slavery below the 36 30 N latitude line but banned slavery above it. It was created because Maine wanted to become a free state in the North, but that would've upset the free-slave state balance in the Senate so Missouri entered as a slave state at the same time. It was also declared unconstitutional by Chief Justice Roger Taney in the Dred Scott v. Sanford decision, causing abolitionists to become enraged. The Missouri Compromise was significant because it was a temporary solution to the disagreement over slavery, putting off a real solution until even later.
The Attack on Fort Sumter
The attack on Fort Sumter was an attack on a U.S. fort of the coast of South Carolina when President Abraham Lincoln tried to restock the fort in 1861 and the Confederates attack, sparking the Civil War. Fort Sumter was a fort on Confederate soil and when it was running low on supplies, Lincoln sent a peaceful ship to restock it. The Confederacy attacked on April 21, 1861 and the U.S. was forced to relinquish the fort, starting the Civil War. The Attack on Fort Sumter was significant because it sparked the Civil War.
Essay Prompt
The main cause of the Civil War was undoubtedly slavery. The North had no use for slavery, while the South was completely dependent upon slavery. The reason for this division was their economies, while the industrial North employed immigrants and factory workers while the agricultural South required the work of slaves to support itself. If the South lost its slaves, the economy would crumble, causing them to hold tightly to this ability. Over the course of the 1800's compromises such as the Missouri Compromise, and the Compromise of 1850, laws such as the Fugitive Slave Act, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the election of 1860, and attacks such as John Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry, and the attack on Fort Sumter caused sectionalism to worsen and eventually caused the Civil War. The Missouri Compromise, made in 1820, banned slavery north of the 36 30 degree North latitude line and preserved it south of that line. This was created when Missouri wanted to enter the United States as a slave state and in order to ensure the free-slave state balance in Senate, Maine entered at the same time. This was a temporary fix to slavery causing tension, leading to the Civil War and created a concrete line to worsen sectionalism. This was contested in a controversial decision in the Dred Scott v. Sanford Supreme Court case. This case was presented by a slave, Dred Scott, after passing through free states with his master before returning to Missouri. Dred Scott argued that he was free because he had traveled through free states and this gave Chief Justice Roger Taney a chance to voice his opinions on slavery. He declared that Dred Scott couldn't sue because he was a slave, so this was not due process, and according to the 5th amendment property, which slaves were, cannot be taken without due process. This controversial decision angered many abolitionists worsening sectionalism and the tension that led up to the Civil War. The Compromise of 1850 was an agreement that passed the Fugitive Slave act, allowed California to enter as a free state, banned the slave trade in Washington D.C. and allowed new territories to vote on whether or not to have slavery in a process called popular sovereignty. This was a temporary solution to slavery, putting off a permanent solution and worsening tension and sectionalism between the North and the South, leading up to the Civil War. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed as a piece of this compromise, requiring slaves to be returned to their masters. This angered many abolitionists, leading to the creation of the Underground Railroad, a system that helped slaves escape to freedom. This system deepened the divide between the North and the South. In 1857, John Brown led an attack on Harpers Ferry, Virginia to raid a federal arsenal in order to arm slaves and lead a slave uprising. He was hanged for this but it inspired many abolitionists to take action themselves, scaring Southerners and causing even more division between the North and the South. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was a law that allowed Kansas and Nebraska to vote on whether or not to have slavery. Voters flocked to Kansas to support their beliefs, and when slavery was legalized, many people became very angry. This led to an opposing, abolitionist government being created and the relations between the two were not peaceful. First, Lawrence, an abolitionist stronghold was attacked, causing John Brown to retaliate with an attack which killed 5 people. This demonstrated how a slave and anti-slavery government couldn't peacefully exist, a precursor to the Civil War. The election of 1860 was a clear demonstration of sectionalism. Northern Democrats supported Stephen Douglas, who wanted popular sovereignty while Southern Democrats supported John Breckinridge, who wanted slavery. Republicans, concentrated in the North supported Abraham Lincoln, who wanted to leave slavery as it was but ban it in all new territories. When Lincoln won, many Southerners feared that he wouldn't stay true to his word and would try to abolish slavery. This caused South Carolina to secede, inspiring others to do the same and to form a Confederacy. One fort that was in Confederate territory, but was owned by the U.S. was Fort Sumter. On April 21, 1861, President Abraham Lincoln sent a peaceful ship to restock the fort but the Confederacy attacked the fort. The U.S. was forced to surrender the fort, starting the Civil War. During the 1800s events such as the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, the election of 1860, John Brown's attack on Harpers Ferry, and the attack on Fort Sumter and laws like the Fugitive Slave Act and the Kansas-Nebraska Act worsened sectionalism and eventually were the causation of the Civil War.
