1. Top 10 Causes of the Civil War

2. In 1820, Henry Clay negotiated the Missouri Compromise
Maine broke from Massachusetts and became a free state
Missouri became a slave state
Slavery was outlawed in all western territories above the latitude of 36°30'

3. In the 1830s, tariffs divided North and South
Southerners argued that tariffs benefited only the North and made manufactured goods too expensive
John C. Calhoun of SC attempted nullification and threatened secession
President Andrew Jackson fought this states’ rights argument

4. Southern whites responded by making slave codes more severe
The Nat Turner rebellion increased the barbarity of slavery in the South
In 1831, Nat Turner freed slaves on Virginia farms and killed 60 whites
Southern whites responded by making slave codes more severe

5. In 1846, Northern Congressmen tried to pass the Wilmot Proviso
This law would have outlawed all slaves from the Mexican Cession
Rather than voting along party lines (Democrats and Whigs), Congressmen voting according to their region
In 1848, the Free Soil Party was formed to keep slavery from spreading West

6. California entered as a free state
The Compromise of 1850 solved the sectional dispute between North and South
California entered as a free state
The slave trade ended in Washington DC
The people of Utah and New Mexico could vote to allow or ban slavery (popular sovereignty)

7. A stronger Fugitive Slave Law was created that allowed Southerners to recapture slaves in the North

8. Abolitionists and many Northerners despised the Compromise of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law allowed runaway slaves (and sometimes free blacks) to be recaptured and enslaved
Northerners formed vigilante committees to protect runaways
Abolitionism grew in the North

9. In 1852 Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Depicted slavery as a moral evil and inspired many in the North to join the abolitionist cause
Became the bestselling book of the 19th century

10. In 1854, Congress passed Stephen Douglas’ Kansas-Nebraska Act
The law used popular sovereignty to give the residents of the territories the right to vote to determine slavery

11. To do this, Congress repealed (ended) the Missouri Compromise line at 36˚30’ in the western territories

12. Northerners were outraged by the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Congress allowed slavery to spread into an area where slavery was already outlawed

13. In 1856, a war began between Kansas and Missouri (known as “Bleeding Kansas")
The resulting pro-slavery victory, led to

14. The Dred Scott case presented the Supreme Court with two questions
In 1857, a slave named Dred Scott sued for his freedom after traveling with his master from Missouri to Wisconsin
The Dred Scott case presented the Supreme Court with two questions
Does Congress have the power to decide on slavery in the territories?
Is the Missouri Compromise constitutional?

15. In Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857), the Supreme Court ruled
Dred Scott had no right to sue because blacks are not citizens
Congress did not have the power to stop slavery in western territories so the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
Northern abolitionists were furious

16. In 1859, abolitionist John Brown led an unsuccessful raid on a federal armory at Harper’s Ferry, VA in an attempt to free slaves in a massive slave uprising

17. The Election of 1860 was the final straw for the South
Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln who argued for “free soil” and a strong national gov’t
Democrats in the North and South were split over the issue of slavery
Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas who argued for popular sovereignty
Southern Democrats nominated John Breckenridge who argued for states rights and the protection of slavery

18. Lincoln won the election without a single Southern vote
Southerners assumed slavery would soon be abolished and began to discuss the possibility of seceding (breaking away) from the USA

19. In December 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union
In 1861, more Southern states seceded and the Civil War between North and South began