KEY REASONS
- in 1793 a machine called the cotton gin was invented, what the cotton gin did was it reduced the time it took to separate seeds from the cotton witch intern increased the number of plantations that wanted to move from farming other products such as Tobacco and rice to start growing cotton witch then led to the needing of more slaves in the field. As the south became an aquaculture powerhouse the north started to become more involved into the industrial life. The two societies’ started to evolve different views and bring in completely new cultures
- 1820, years after the Louisiana Purchase, an ordeal called the Missouri compromise started to happen. Many people in the United States agreed that the expansion to the west was very important to keep the nation healthy. During this time not many people really cared about Native American issues and it was not a very big deal, but that was not the case for slavery. The Missouri compromise was a big argument of with side Missouri was going to be a part of. A free state which means having no salves or a salve state. In 1819 the United States consisted of 11 Free states and 11 slave states witch created equilibrium a balance among the US senate. If Missouri was added to the slave states the south would have most the power in the senate. The debate in congress was very heated after a New York congress man named James Tallmadge wanted slavery prohibited in the new state of Missouri. Defenders of slavery in congress relied on a principle of fairness, they said how could congress deny the right for a new state rather it wanted slavery or not. If congress controlled what Missouri did it would be giving Missouri lesser rights than the other states and that would cause an even bigger problem. What ended up happening was Missouri became a slave state, but would be balanced by the new state of Maine after it was separated from Massachusetts, which would become a free state. Missouri would be the last new state entering the union that would be a slave state. Slavery was to be excluded in all new states of the Louisiana Purchase north of the southern boundary of Missouri. All this arguing added more fuel to the fire that would slowly make the south succeeded from the union witch intern would start the civil war.
- In 1850 an act called the fugitive salve law was set into place. A little background on the law. Back in the 1840s hundreds upon hundreds of slaves were escaping to the north from the south witch made slavery very unstable in the Border States. What the fugitive slave act of 1850 did was penalize officers who did not send the slave back to the south the normal fine of such a wrong doing at the time was upward to 1,000 dollars witch was pretty expensive at the time. The only way a law official would know that it was a runaway slave was if the owner of the slave told the officer, and that caused a little stirrup in the north. The slaves who were captured by officers could not request a trial. People who were helping the slaves by giving them shelter or food would get six month in jail or a 1000 dollar fine. But the officers who caught the runaway slaves would get a promotion. The act caused a lot of pressure on the northerners and it made them feel like they were involved in slavery and made them break their beliefs. Ex slaves who already became American citizens up in the north were dragged back down to the south. Many northerners were afraid it would create riots among the ex-slaves.
- Uncle Tom’s cabin was a book published in 1852 by a woman of the name of Harriet Beecher Stowe. Her whole goal was to show the American people how evil slavery was. it portals of how slaves were treated by their owners. The books sold over three hundred thousand copies in the first year it was published. In the south many states mad it illegal to buy and read the book. Many southerners thought of Stowe as a huge liar. The novel influenced many people’s opinions about slavery as the book kept becoming more and more popular. The issue of slavery became a huge deal since more people were getting connected to the charters in the book. It moved a small circle of abolitionist to a very big audience in the north. Uncle Tom’s cabin created a huge political impact.
- During the year of 1854 to 1861 a major event called bleeding Kansas accrued. What bleeding Kansas was was this huge debate between pro slavery and anti-slavery supporters. At the time Kansas was not a slave state or a free state. Because of the Kansas Nebraska act. Unlike Missouri, Kansas could decide for itself what it wanted to be. This is also known as popular sovereignty. During the six year period, there were many small battles going on between the pro and anti-slavery forces. It should be noted that the civil war has not yet started. Probably the bloodiest battles happened when people from the north and the south would cross into Kansas and try to vote for themselves witch way Kansas would turn. The battles were so big that not even federal officers could stop them. Kansas was above the 36 degree line and the Missouri compromise stated that there would be no slave states above that line so northerners were outraged. Southerners on the other hand were pretty happy that the Missouri compromise wasn't affecting Kansas’s diction. In the end Kansas became a free state. Bleeding Kansas probably had the biggest impact on the civil war. Many people believe that these were the first shot of the civil war.
- States vs federal rights played a huge factor in the start of the civil war. Since the United States became a country in 1776 there have always been two sides: one side whole thinks that the states should have the freedom to make their own decisions and have better rights. And the other side who thinks the federal government should have most of the power over the states. The northerners were for more federal power and the southerners wanted more state power to make big decision on its own. Well the southerners started to get fed up, the claimed that the federal government cloud not stop them from having slavery because of the 10th amendment, this resulted in nullification witch meant states could and often times would ignore the federal government. When nullification didn't works they started to move toward succession
- In 1860 a senator from the state of Illinois was elected as the 16 president of the United States. His views were not well liked among the southern people. Lincoln’s views were very anti savory. The day of the election many of the southern ballets didn't even have Lincoln on the ballet. Before Lincoln was even elected six states already succeeded Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. It was very clear the south never wanted Lincoln and they were going to prove it. Three months after Lincoln was elected South Carolina succeeded from the union.