2. There were many events that led to the outbreak of the American Civil War. However, the main cause of the war was the issue of slavery. What is slavery?

3. Slavery: The practice of owning slaves. When a person (the slave) is owned by another person (the slave master). A slave does hard work (farming, cooking, cleaning), under harsh conditions (hot weather, bad treatment, and abuse), and does not get paid for their services (job).

4. Slavery had existed in America since 1619. By 1820, the northern states had ended the practice of slavery. However, the practice continued in the southern states. Slavery was a major part of their economy (farming). Northern lawmakers wanted more free states to join the Union (country). If there were more free states than slaves states, northern lawmakers would be able to end slavery. Southern lawmakers wanted more slave states to join the Union (country). If there were more slave states than free states, southern lawmakers would be able to continue and spread the practice of slavery.

9. In 1819, the United States was composed of 11 free states and 11 slave states. However, the nation had several territories located in the west that would soon become states. They could either join the union as a free state, or as a slave state. Missouri wanted to join the United States as a slave state. Northern lawmakers in Congress did not want Missouri to enter the nation as a slave state. (the group with the most power would be able to pass laws supporting slavery, or against slavery) When there is a disagreement in government, a compromise must be made.

10. Lawmakers in Congress made the following compromise in order to avoid a conflict over slavery. 1. Missouri (southern state) entered the Union as a slave state. 1. Maine (northern state) entered the Union as a free state. 1. Congress drew a line across the Louisiana Territory, the Missouri Compromise line. (36°, 30’ N) 1. Any territory entering the Union above the line would become a free state. 2. Any territory entering the Union below the line would become a slave state.

12. Sectionalism: A loyalty to one region of the country instead of the entire country. In the years before the American Civil War, three different regions developed in the United States. The North (anti-slavery) The South (pro-slavery) The West (mixed views about slavery)

13. The Northern and Southern regions of the United States were growing apart due to many issues. Conflict over government: The North wanted a strong federal government, the South wanted the state governments to have more power than the federal government. Slavery: The North wanted to end slavery, and stop territories from becoming slave states. The South wanted to keep slavery, and see more slave states added to the Union.

14. The NorthThe SouthThe West SlaveryWanted no more slave states. Wanted more slave states. Wanted to make their own decision about slavery. Taxes (on goods from other countries) Wanted higher taxes. Wanted lower taxes. Wanted higher taxes. ImmigrationWanted more immigrants. Wanted fewer immigrants. Wanted more immigrants.

16. In 1849, the United States was again equally divided between free states and slave states. California wanted to enter the Union as a free state. Northern lawmakers in Congress wanted to pass a law that would stop the sale of African American slaves in Washington D.C. Southern politicians wanted Congress to pass the Fugitive Slave Law. Fugitive Slave Law: Northerners had to arrest runaway slaves, and give them back to southern slave owners. Once again, there was a disagreement in the government over the issue of slavery, a compromise was needed.

17. The Compromise of 1850: 1. California entered the Union as a free state. 1. Popular Sovereignty would be used in the territories acquired from Mexico. People in those territories would decide if they wanted their territory to become a free state or a slave state. 1. Congress ended the slave trade in Washington D.C. 1. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Law (1850).

19. Abolitionists: People who wanted to end slavery in the United States. The Underground Railroad Abolitionists created the Underground Railroad to help slaves escape to the North or Canada and gain their freedom. The Underground Railroad was a system of trails and “safe houses” that helped African Americans in their journey to freedom.

20. The Underground Railroad operated like a real railroad. “Tracks”: Were secret routes that slaves traveled to reach freedom in the North. “Stations”: “safe houses” or other hiding places. “Conductors”: Individuals who helped lead runaway slaves to freedom in the North. (i.e., Harriet Tubman) 100,000 enslaved African Americans used the Underground Railroad to gain their freedom in the North.

21. During the 1850s, abolitionists wrote books that changed the way Northerners thought about slavery. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass. Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Northerners began to question if slavery was right? Is it right for one human to own another human? After reading these books, many individuals in the North wanted to see slavery ended in the South.

23. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) allowed Americans to settle in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. Popular Sovereignty: The people living in Kansas and Nebraska would vote to decide if their territories would become free states or slave states. Is popular sovereignty a good way for people to solve the issue of slavery?

24. Pro-slavery Americans and anti-slavery Americans moved to the Kansas territory to take part in the vote that would decide if Kansas became a free state or slave state. Some of the pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers were extremists. Extremist: A person with a very strong political view on a topic. Extremists can sometimes become violent and harm those who do not support their beliefs. During and after the vote, pro-slavery and anti-slavery extremists used violence against each other. By 1856, 200 people had been killed by pro-slavery and anti-slavery extremists. The territory became known as “Bleeding Kansas.” “Bleeding Kansas” proved that popular sovereignty was a failure. The nation continued to split apart over slavery.

26. Dred Scott was a slave from Missouri. While a slave, he travelled to the North with his master (U.S. Army Surgeon Dr. John Emerson) and lived in a free state (Illinois) for four years. Dred Scott went to court to obtain his freedom. His argument was that living in a free state made him a free person.

27. In 1857, the case was brought before the United States Supreme Court, Dred Scott v. Sanford. The Supreme Court made the following decision. 1. An African American (slave or free) is not a United States citizen, they cannot bring a case to court. 2. A slave owner can move to any part of the country and still own his property. 3. The Missouri Compromise (1820) is against the law. Congress does not have the power to determine which states can be free states or slave states. All United States territories could become slave states.

28. In October 1859, John Brown and 21 abolitionists attacked a U.S. Army building in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown wanted to use the weapons from the building to arm slaves in the South and start a slave rebellion. Brown and his men were captured by the United States army. John Brown was executed for treason against the government. Brown’s death caused Americans to become more divided over the issue of slavery. Northerners viewed Brown as a hero, while Southerners viewed him as an extremist and terrorist.

30. The most important issue in the 1860 election was slavery. The South feared that a candidate from the Republican Party, a party created by abolitionists, would win the election.

31. The Candidates and their beliefs on slavery. Abraham Lincoln (Republican): The government would end slavery in U.S. territories. Stephen Douglas (Northern Democrat): Believed in popular sovereignty, each territory should be allowed to decide if they wanted slavery. John Breckinridge (Southern Democrat): Supported the practice of slavery. John Bell (Constitutional Union Party): Did not take a stand on the issue of slavery, but was a slaveholder himself.

33. Abraham Lincoln won the election of 1860 and became the President of the United States. The South was afraid of President Lincoln, they believed he would end slavery. After Lincoln was elected president, southern states started to secede from the United States. Secede: To break away from (no longer be part of) the United States. The southern states formed a new nation, known as the Confederate States of America (the Confederacy). America was now divided into two separate countries. The United States (the North). The Confederacy (the Confederacy).