Civil War
by: Kasey
Kansas Nebraska Act
Stephen Douglas wants part of the Louisiana Purchase divided into 2 territories Kanas & Nebraska. Douglas believes in popular sovereignty. Problem is territories are above 36° 30' line. (Missouri Compromise)
Douglas thinks the move will give him Southern support for possible presidential run -North views Douglas as a sell out. Bitter debate in Congress, but bill passes in 1854. Missouri Compromise of 1820 is repealed. More resistance of fugitive slave law in North. Violence erupts in territories (Bleeding Kansas).
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave; owner takes Scott with him to Illinois and Wisconsin (free states) to live. 4 years later Scott and his master move back to Missouri. Scotts master died and Scott sues for freedom. Scott argued he should be free on the grounds that he became free when entering a free state. Missouri Court ruled against Scott; case went to the US supreme court. March 6. 1857 Chief Justice Roger Taney upheld the ruling against Scott, saying Scott had no right to sue because he was considered property. Huge victory for slave supporters slavery cannot be prohibited.
Appomattox Courthouse
The Battle of Appomattox Court House, fought on the morning of April 9, 1865, was the final engagement of Confederate States Army General Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia before it surrendered to the Union Army under Lt. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and one of the last battles of the American Civil War. Lee, having abandoned the Confederate capital of Richmond, Virginia, after the ten-month Siege of Petersburg, retreated west, hoping to join his army with the Confederate forces in North Carolina. Union forces pursued and cut off the Confederate retreat at Appomattox Court House. Lee launched an attack to break through the Union force to his front, assuming the Union force consisted entirely of cavalry. When he realized that the cavalry was backed up by two corps of Union infantry, he had no choice but to surrender.
Emancipation Proclamation
The Emancipation Proclamation was a presidential proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, as a war measure during the American Civil War, directed to all of the areas in rebellion and all segments of the Executive branch (including the Army and Navy) of the United States. It proclaimed the freedom of slaves in the ten states that were still in rebellion, excluding areas controlled by the Union and thus applying to 3 million of the 4 million slaves in the U.S. at the time. While the Emancipation Proclamation did not free a single slave, it was an important turning point in the war, transforming the fight to preserve the nation into a battle for human freedom.