Chapter 15

Causes of the Civil War!

Fugitive Slave Act 1850

Part of the Compromise of 1850

Required Northerners to step up efforts to capture Northerners were

outraged Presences of slave

catchers in the North People were forced to

make a moral decision

Uncle Tom’s Cabin 1852

Book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Made into a play Extremely popular

in the North Southerners felt it

falsely criticized the South and Slavery

Republican Party Forms 1854

Created after the Kansas-Nebraska ActWhigs Party split between North and South

Opposed Slavery1st nomination was John C. Fremont

American Hero with little political history making him very uncontroversial

Bleeding Kansas 1855

Proslavery and Antislavery people flooded the region. 5,000 proslavery Missourians voted in Kansas

Elections Created a Proslavery Legislature Boycotts and Protests

Antislavery group sets up a legislature in Lawrence Bushwhackers raid and burn Lawrence to the ground

John Brown Pottawatomie Massacre

Dred Scott v. Sandford 1856

Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri

Owner took him to Kansas territory and back to Missouri

Owner died and Scott sued for his freedom

Case went to the Supreme Court Ruled against Scott Labeled slaves as property Northerners were outraged

and looked to the Republican Party to halt the growing power of the Slaveholders

Attack on Harpers Ferry 1859

John Brown leads a raid on the U.S. weapons arsenal. Plan to seize the

weapons, arm slaves and lead a revolt against white slave owners

No slaves join the revolt

Brown is captured, tried, and sentenced to death

Lincoln Douglas Debates

Blue print of the modern debate Debates across Illinois about the slave

issue. The two sides:

Stephen A. Douglas- Short stocky man from Illinois.

1. Thought it was the responsibility of the government to prevent the expansion of slavery

2. He believed in Popular Sovereignty

Lincoln Douglas Debates

Abraham Lincoln- Tall gawky man from Illinois

1. Believed that slavery was a moral decision2. Wanted to stop the expansion of slavery

Slavery would be protected where it already exists.