Causes of the Civil War

Answer Key

• March 5, 1820: Missouri Compromise- allowed Maine to enter as a free state and Missouri to enter as a slave state; slavery was prohibited north of the 36º30’ latitude.

• August 8, 1846: Wilmot Proviso -said that slavery should be prohibited in any lands won in a war fought with Mexico.

• January 29,1850: Compromise of 1850: California is added as a free state; slavery could not be prohibited in lands gained in Mexican War; Fugitive Slave Act is passed.

• September 18,1850: Fugitive Slave Act- law that required all citizens to help catch runaway slaves.

• March 20,1852: Uncle Tom’s Cabin- Novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that showed the evils of slavery and convinced many that it was wrong.

• May 30, 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act- Act that allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to vote on whether to allow slavery in the territory.

• January 9, 1856: Bleeding Kansas- nickname given to Kansas by reporters because of the violence between pro and anti-slavery groups.

• March 1857: Dred Scott Decision- Supreme Court ruled that slaves were property and could not sue their masters in court; also ruled that the government could not outlaw slavery anywhere in the US.

• 1858: Lincoln/Douglas Debates- debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas to win the Illinois senate seat. Most debates centered around slavery.

• October 16, 1859: John Brown’s Raid- abolitionist who planned a raid on an arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. The guns were to be given to slaves to rise up against their masters.

• December 2, 1859: John Brown’s Execution- the hanging of John Brown for planning a raid on Harper’s Ferry. It made many Northerners angry.

• November 1860: Election of 1860- Lincoln won the election. It made the south plan for secession.

• December 20, 1860: South Carolina Secedes- South Carolina becomes the first state to leave the Union.

• February 9, 1861: Confederate States of America is formed- the South form their own nation and elect Jefferson Davis as president.

• April 12, 1861: Battle of Ft. Sumter- the opening battle of the Civil War.