Causes of the Civil War

 Hello,
This page of the blog is dedicated to explaining the main causes and events leading up to the Civil War.

Preview: Federal Government's Authority vs. States' Rights 

Some of the important events which defined state rigths and the extent of federal power were the South Carolina Nullification Crisis (mentioned minute 8:30) and the end of the second National Bank (mentioned minute 10:50).

Preview: Economic Changes 

The video goes over all the major parts and changes of the economy which caused more differences between the North and South, such as the use of the railroad and the beginning of King Cotton in the South and industrialization in the North. 

 Compromise of 1850 

Even before the end of the war, Mexican territory was being disputed between a free North and a slave South. In 1863, David Wilmot created the Free-Soil party, as well as the Wilmot Proviso. The Proviso would prohibit the expansion of slavery in any territory that was gained from Mexico in the war. This was supported by the Whigs, who did not want competition between slavery and free-labor, but failed to pass into law. After the proviso and near the end of the war, Lewis Cass, a senator from Michigan, proposed the concept of popular sovereignty. The North interpreted this as meaning that the people who settled in the new territories would decide whether or not they would allow slavery. Southerners believed that it meant that the decision would only be made when the territory applied for statehood, where as the North believed that people in the territories would decide immediately. After president Taylor was elected, and he made it clear that California was to be a free state, the South accused of Taylor wanting to enact Wilmot's proviso in a new form. Besides the accusations, Taylor refused to change policy. In response officials in Congress took the issue into their own hands. Senator Henry Clay proposed several bills, which came to be known as the Compromise of 1850.  These bills included: 

• Admission of California as a free state
• New Mexico and Utah status on slavery will be determined by popular sovereignty
• Stronger Fugitive Slave laws
• Texas will be compensated ten million dollars in exchange for dropping its claims to territory in New Mexico 
• Slave Trade is now prohibited in the District of Columbia, yet slavery there is not abolished. 

The Fugitive Slave Laws would now require citizens living in free states to alert the authorities if they saw a fugitive slave. This law was based on the idea that slaves are property, and just like a person's car, furniture, clothing, they remain the owner's even if they travel to other places. 

Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas 

Created in 1854 by Stephen Douglas, the Kansas-Nebraska Act established popular sovereignty in both Nebraska and Kansas. That meant that the people from both states would get to decide whether or not to allow slavery. "Bleeding Kansas" in a reference to a mini civil war between slavery supporters and others known as "jay hawks," supporters of freedom for slaves. Violent acts soon escalated and pro-slavery supporters burned down Kansas City, where many jay hawks were living.

Stephen Douglas

Dred Scott Decision 

The Dred Scott decision served to increase tension's between the north and south by taking away what had previously been keeping the expansion of slavery in somewhat of control. Dredd Scott, a slave from Missouri, sued for his freedom after his master died in 1857. In a case known as Dredd Scott v. Sandford (1857), Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled that it was not it Scott's right to sue, since that was a privilege only granted to citizens of the United States. This led to Taney also ruling that the Supreme Court has no jurisdiction in restricting slavery in any territory, thus making the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. 

Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled that slaves were property thus could not be free even in states which had abolished slavery. He also used judicial review to declare the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates 

During 1858, Lincoln would compete with Stephen Douglas for a seat in the senate of Illinois. There topics were mainly focused over the issues of slavery and states' rights. Douglas often accused Lincoln of wanting to end slavery complete and impact the economy in a negative way. Lincoln revealed his suspicion of the South wanting to make slavery a national institution during his speech "A House Divided."

Here's a link to History Channel's section for the debates:
http://www.history.com/topics/lincoln-douglas-debates

If you really must read all of the debates here is a link:

http://www.nps.gov/liho/historyculture/debates.htm

(Primary Source- Stamp)
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were very well known throughout Illinois and helped put Lincoln in the spotlight of politics as well as earn him place among Republicans. This would later help him win the presidency in the election of 1860. 

John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry 

In May of 1858, John Brown, a devoted abolitionist, organized a raid on Harper's Ferry with the intent of capturing several weapons and redistributing them to other slaves. Before him and his twenty-two volunteers could do the raid, they were captured in a fire-house. However, the threat of an uprising and the execution of Brown were enough to spur panic in the South and sympathy in the North, thus pushing the nation closer to a civil war.

Source: http://www.britannica.com
Brown had devoted almost his whole life to abolition. Around 1834, Brown was raising a black child. In 1855, he joined the fighting in Nebraska, and in 1856, he led a raid against pro-slavery members living in Pottawatomie Creek. During this raid, five men were executed. 

Here's a great link to the more detailed explanation of the raid: 

http://www.civilwar.org/150th-anniversary/john-browns-harpers-ferry.html 

Election of 1860

During the election of 1860, the Democrats experienced turmoil. Divided, Southern Democrats left the nominating convention, held in April, because they did not support the nomination of Stephen Douglas, a supporter of slavery who had advocated for popular sovereignty, 

Election of 1860 Key Points:

Candidates:

• Abraham Lincoln - Republican - 180 
• John C. Breckinridge - Democratic South - 72 
• Stephen Douglas - Democratic North - 12
• John Bell - Constitutional Union - 39 

- South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union. They did this about a month after Lincoln was elected. Southerns had feared that Lincoln would lead to the demise of slavery and had previously threatened to secede if he was elected. Delegated in SC voted unanimously. 

(Source: Wikipedia)
Lincoln's election was what finally prompted succession of South Carolina, which would promptly be followed by other southern states. 

Summary :

Back before the end of the Mexican-American war, the North and South were divided on the issue of slavery, an issue that had never been politically addressed. Wilmot's Proviso not only sought out to help resolve the issue, but it also brought slavery to the front of politics. After the Compromise of 1850, tensions between the North and South grew exponentially with the violence in Kansas caused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Dredd-Scott decision only made things worse by claiming that blacks were not citizens and making the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. This particularly worried the North because it meant that slavery now had the potential to exists everywhere. However, it was finally Lincoln's election in 1860 which caused enough tension in the South for South Carolina to secede only a month after the election. 

This video also gives a nice, brief summary of both the election of 1860 and the road leading up to the civil war. It also provides a little information on the actually war. 

Summary information source:

Fredrickson, George M., R. Hal Williams, Ariela J. Gross, and H.W. Brands. America past and Present. Ed. Robert A. Divine and T.H. Breen. 8th ed. New York (N.Y.): Pearson Longman, 2007. Print.