The United States as a whole was divided before the Civil War, over the dispute of whether slavery should be allowed or not after the Mexican American war ended in 1848. After the Mexican American war citizens of the North and the South began to dispute the issue of slavery and tensions started to rise. There were many things proposed that were proposed to help the dispute over slavery such as the Wilmot Provisio which would close off California, Utah and New Mexico off from slavery.
However it was not approved by the Senate as well, the South did not agree with the provisio as they feared that it would shift the balance of the power in the north. The Civil war was an inevitable fate that not only the North and the South had to face but the country as a whole. With the overwhelming majority of the country in a disgruntle over the fate of slavery in the newly settled territories in the United States, throughout the years of 1846-1861 there were many events that sped up the occurrence of our country’s Civil War.
The events in which led to and accelerated the start of the Civil War included The Compromise of 1850, The Kansas and Nebraska act in 1854, and The Election of 1860. The compromise of 1850 proposed by Henry clay was a very important provision that started many debates over the ongoing issue of slavery and led to the eventual start of The Civil War. The compromise of 1850 was an attempt made by Henry clay to try and find an even ground and middle point between the North and the south.
Most of the south wanted slavery to use for industry and for labor while most of the North either did not favor the expansion of slavery or wanted to abolish it all together. The middle ground that Henry clay proposed was that California be admitted as a free state, the territories of Utah and Nebraska be let to decide the dispute over slavery through popular sovereignty, and the strengthening of the Fugitive slave laws. Henry clay thought very strongly about his compromise as he felt that it would peacefully settle the tension between the north and the south without having to face possible war between the two.
After The proposition of the Compromise of 1850 came the implimintation of the harsher fugitive slave act. This portion of the act was proposed to appeal to the liking of the south. Although it may have appealed to the south it also stirred feelings in the north. The laws were not practical as they violated the slaves 6th amendment right to a trial by jury, also the slaves could not testify of their own behalf. Angered by this many states passes personal liberty laws which prohibit the imprisonment of the runaway slaves and permitted them a trial by jury.
The push for the rights for African Americans and slaves as a whole led to an abolitionist movement to be sparked throughout the united states that opened up many northerners and southerners eyes to the harsh realities of slaver and how morally wrong it was. As these abolitionist feelings intensified so did the dispute over whether or not slavery should be allowed in the disputed territories of present day Kansa and Nebraska that were supposed to be settled in the compromise of 1850.
The Kansas and Nebraska act in 1854 was a highly disputed act due to the compromise line of 36° 30′ which eventually led to The Civil War due to disputes over where slavery was permitted. Stephan Douglas who proposed the Kansas and Nebraska act in 1854 thought that popular sovereignty should settle the dispute over whether or not slavery should be allowed in the Nebraska territory. However with the compromise of 36° 30′ the territory was legally closed to slavery. To settle this Douglas voughed to repeal the Missouri Compromise line and establish popular sovereignty as the means of how the territories settle their issue on slavery.
Not every one agreed on this issue. Parts of the North saw the act as a plan to turn the territories directly into slave states, and this therefore made them very weary and spiteful. This over all ill natured feeling spilled over into the population as the fate of Kansas hung in the balance after the act became a law in May of 1854. The passing of the Kansas and Nebraska act in 1854 became a turning point in violent tensions in the north and the south. Thousands of people rushed into Kansa to try and sway the fate of the territory.
The ultimate decision was swayed by border ruffians, and Kansas became a slave state. Furious about these events many abolitionists decided they wanted to take action and before long Protests and violence started to surface as the fight for Kansas urged on. These acts of violence such as the “sack of Lawrence” spiked the interest of many men, such as John Brown. John brown was an intensive and passionate abolitionist who thought slavery was morally wrong and was known for his fiery spirit that triggered many events that some say led to the start of the civil war.
John smith was a abolitionist who though it was his god destined will to fight for slavery. In one of his eraly trifles, Brown wanted to seek revenge after the “sack of Lawrence” and on May 24th him and his gang of followers pulled 5 men from their homes and brutally injured them. This became known as the Potawattomie Massacre. ” This event was a trigger for revenge as it went on to motivate many and some 100’s of people died. Shortly after Brown fled from Kansas, however his fiery spirit didn’t die as he later went on to Raid Harpersferry Virginia in 1859 and some might say he lit the match to the war.
After carefully studying ancient slave revolt after ancient slave revolt, John brown decided that it was time to take a stand and secretly obtained financial backing from other Northern abolitionsts. On the night of October 16, 1859 John Brown carried out a very poorly executed and comunitcated raid on the cities aresnal with a band of around 21 men. His goal was to seize the weapons and distribute them throughout the city to the local slaves and to start an uprizing.
Unfortunetly this did not happen as one of browns men were killed and Robert E. Lee and a detachment of the U. S Marines went to Harpersferry and shut the Raid down. Brown was captured and charged with treason. In spite of this Brown hoped that his cause would spark interest in norther abolitionists and start a newly motivated war for slave freedom. John brown was sentenced to death and hanged on December 2nd 1859. Just as Brown hoped many Northeners were outraged by his death and showed great sympathy and honor for his actions for the greater good. Protests began to unfold as the north began to bash the south for its pro slavery ways. The south responded to John browns death just as harshly.
The raid in Harpersferry opened the eyes to many southerners as they realized that they were completely against the North and their view on slavery as they feared further slave uprisings. John browns raid also brought ups the question of secession to the south. The south was not going to put up with the outraged abolitionists in the north nnd many would rather seceede. The election of 1860 was the final straw as a whole for the unity of the united states ans quickly triggered the civil war. As the country as a whole was now split over slavery tesions in the election were very high.
The north and the south were now split between the Four presidential canidates Abraham Lincoln (republican), John C. Breckinridge (southern democrato, John bell (Constitutional Union), and Stephan Douglas (Northern Demorcratic). This lead to a further separation between political views throughout the country. Lincoln however seemed to win the election of 1860. Lincoln having very free soil qualities in wanting to stop the spread of slavery all together did not get a lot of positive reinforcent from the south after winning the election.
The south felt defeated and betrayed and felt as if that their voice was gone all together in the Federal government. With ehe fear that their way of life all together was at state the south starts to think about secession. The people of the south relied on slavery for their farming and plantation lifestlye and felt as though Abraham Lincoln was out to destroy that lifestyle by wanting to stop the spread of slavery. Many southerners saw secession as the only way to preserve their style of living and on December 0, 1860, South Carolina seceedes and within months Alabama, Georgia, Texas, and Louisiana follow and seceed forming the Confederate states of America.
After the formation of the Confederacy the question on what to do next was on everyone’s mind. Would war break out? Would more states seceede? And sure enough that question was soon answered as the first battle of Fort Sumter occurs on April 12, 1861 officially kicking off The Civil War. In conclusion the events that took place between the years of 1846-1861 were a downwards spiral that eventually led to the Civil war in a fight to keep our country together.
With the overwhelming majority of the country in a disgruntle over the fate of slavery in the newly settled territories in the United States there were many events that sped up the occurrence of our country’s Civil War, such as The Compromise of 1850, The Kansas and Nebraska act in 1854, and The Election of 1860. In all after the election of 1860 and after the south seceeds the people of the United States are unsure if the future fate of our country as a whole as war breaks about Between the North and the South.
