Causes of the Civil War
by: Chloe and Ryan
DISCLAIMER: The songs are only included for "kicks." Some of them are slightly comical and all are relatively unintelligent... listen if you feel like it. I found them all on SoundCloud.
#1
Before the Compromise of 1850, the Missouri compromise in 1820 had calmed relations between the North and South temporarily. However, after the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), California joined the free states and chose not to allow slavery. This threw off the delicate balance of free states to slave states, so in order to prevent a civil war, Henry Clay formulated another compromise by
1.) Making California a free state 2.) Outlawing the slave trade in DC 3.) Strengthening the Fugitive Slave Act which actually backfired because it allowed the north to see how truly cruelly the southerners were treating blacks. This only motivated the northerners more to abolish slavery. 4.) And making the new territories of Utah and New Mexico legal to own slaves.
#2
Preston Brooks was seriously P.O.’d (in 1856) that Sumner called South Carolina’s senator an imbecile essentially. Because of this, the enraged southerner sprung from his seat and began to bash the skull of Sumner multiple times with the gold-tipped butt of his cane. The event was widely publicized by both the north and the south, of course, with different messages. The North used the attack to mock Southern hospitality and the good from slavery, while the South used it to praise Brooks as a hero standing up for what is right. Upon hearing about it, many citizens of South Carolina felt it necessary to send canes to Brooks with the message of ‘Do it again.’ From this event, abolitionists were able to argue that in nature, the south and their actions were corrupt.
#3
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was a test to see if states could deal with decisions concerning slavery without the federal government. Theoretically, each state could vote and choose whether the citizens wanted slavery to continue, but unfortunately the choice was not so decisive. Instead, pro-slavery advocates came from Missouri to attempt to sway the vote in their favor, while anti-slavery settlers came from the North to do just the same. However, their rallies were not always peaceful. When both sides met when campaigning it often got violent and thus the name “Bleeding Kansas” was given to the state. This led to the extinction of the whig party due to the fact that they refused to express support for either side during the vote.
#4
John Brown was an extreme abolitionist. He was a conductor on the Underground Railroad and established the League of Gileadites, which was an organization established to help runaway slaves escape to Canada. When he was 55, he moved to Kansas and led a small band of men to Pattowatomie Creek. They brutally murdered unarmed men and boys whom they believed were slavery proponents. Later, Brown freed eleven slaves and killed their slaveowner in Missouri. Then in 1859, John Brown rented the Kennedy Farmhouse which was four miles away from Harpers Ferry. There he trained over twenty men and they planned to capture the Federal Arsenal at Harpers Ferry. On October 16th of 1859, John Brown led his men in the raid of the Federal Arsenal but failed, as the slaves in the area didn’t join them as he had expected and the raid was put down by the militia led by Robert E. Lee. Most of his men were either killed or injured. Some abolitionists and northerners called John Brown a hero, while slave owners and southerners saw him as a villain. The two sides both agreed, however, that the violence that John Brown used was unnecessary.
#5
#6
Works Cited
"Canefight! Preston Brooks and Charles Sumner." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
"Compromise of 1850." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
"Dred Scott Case." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
"John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid." John Brown and the Harpers Ferry Raid. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
"Lincoln and Republican Victory in 1860 - Boundless Open Textbook." Boundless. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
"The Election of 1860." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.
"The Kansas-Nebraska Act." Ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2015.