1. Events and Compromises
Is War inevitable?

2. Missouri Compromise
North –wants Maine and Missouri to enter as free states, wants to stop slavery in LA territory, and does not want anymore slave states
South – supports statehood for Missouri as slave state and wants slavery in any territory, and does not want any more free states added.

3. What actually happened Missouri Compromise
Missouri allowed to enter as a slave state and Maine entered as a free state. The balance of power therefore remained the same with 12 states free and 12 states as slave states.
An imaginary line was drawn at 36°30’ across the Louisiana Territory. North of this line, slavery was to be banned (except Missouri), and south of this line, slavery was legal.

4. Compromise of 1850 – Should CA be a free or slave state?
North – wants CA to be a free state, and wants to ban slavery in NM and Utah. The north also wants to ban slavery in DC and opposes any run away slave law that would endanger slaves who have run away.
South opposes letting free states gain a majority in the senate, and does not want CA to enter unless there are other slave states let in like Utah and NM, wants a strong fugitive (runaway) slave laws.

5. What actually happened Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay came up with the following compromise. It was debated for over 9 months and was finally approved.
CA comes in as a free state
NM and Utah would be slave states
Slave trade, but not slavery banned in DC
Strong fugitive slave law

6. Dred Scott Case When a slave travels to a free state with his owner, does he become free as soon as he enters the state?
North – says Constitution does not limit citizenship to white people, and when the owner of Scott took him to a free state, he gave up his rights as an owner, and the north also feels Congress should make laws banning slavery in the territories South – Scott born a slave and has no right to sue, Scott returned to MS and should be a slave again, and the Constitutions says people cannot have their property taken away from them.

7. Dred Scott Ruling
The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court at this time was an abolitionist who had freed his own slaves, so everyone was shocked with his rulings.
Dred Scott was not a citizen and did not have a right to sue and further, no African American could ever become a citizen.
Said that according to 5th amendment, property cannot be taken away without due process and the government should protect slave owners rights to their property.

8. Secession After Lincoln is elected the south wants to leave the union.
North – felt slavery is immoral and must not be allowed to expand, also felt secession was illegal and and the we should fight to keep it together
South felt slavery was moral and should be allowed to expand, they also feel they joined the union of their own free will and should be allowed to “un-join” or secede, especially since their whole way of life is in jeopardy.

9. What happened on secession?
Delegates in Charleston SC decided to secede from the union and 6 more states followed close behind.
Soon after, Lincoln was sworn in as the 16th president of a not so united United States.
He asked the South to come back into the US saying:
“In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war.”
One month later the south fired the first shots at Fort Sumter in South Carolina, and the Civil War begins.