Apush Civil War

It was the late 1850’s, early 1860’s and the United States was experiencing a great divide between both the North and the South which eventually led to the start of the Civil War. One may ask why the rift existed between the states and it can simply be explained in just a few key points. Economic and social factors were a large contributor. The cotton industry in the south was booming with the invention of the cotton gin which in turn caused an increased need for slaves making the south a one crop economy.

During the 1850s many problems started to arise within the government creating sectional tension within the country. Everything that caused an increase in the tension within the citizens of the United States, had happened pre-Civil War. Majority of the tension that emerged, came from sides being taken between the North and the South because of their difference in beliefs on slavery and state powers. Some of the events such as Fugitive Slave Act, Dred Scott Decision, and Brook’s attack on Charles Sumner caused the two regions to feel as if they had different interests. In the event of Bleeding Kansas, they even fought over political power in the country.

In this compromise, Northern states, in their desire to keep the Union intact, agreed to wait until 1808 before Congress would be able to ban the slave trade in the U.S Also part of this compromise was the fugitive slave law, which required Northern states to deport any runaway slaves, another win for the

The Missouri Compromise, Sectionalism, the steady rise in the Abolitionist Movement, and the election of Abraham Lincoln all contributed to the conflict which began the Civil War. The continuous disagreements regarding slavery between the North and South divided the Union early on. Differences in culture, education and social practices cultivated the growing divide between regions. Most northern states had completely abolished slavery by the beginning of the nineteenth century, causing the conflict of interest politically between the North and South. With the western territories being settled at a rapid pace, a fierce political competition heated between the North and South.

The Compromise of 1850 was an attempt by the U.S Congress to settle divisive issues between the North and South, including slavery expansion, apprehension in the North of fugitive slaves, and slavery in the District of Columbia. The Compromise of 1850 failed because Senator John C. Calhoun from the South and Senator William Seward from the North could not agree on what Henry Clay was putting down. Part of the compromise was to make California a slavery free state which benefits the North, and enforcing a stricter fugitive slave law which benefits the South. Both the North and South opposed what the other was benefiting from. What sparked the failure of the Compromise was the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850.

In contrast, other politicians were trying to create temporary solutions to the slavery issue. One of these provisional plans was the Compromise of 1850 which was a series of bills planned by Henry Clay and later overseen by Stephen Douglas that would try to resolve the concerns of slavery in new territories. Therefore, California was admitted to the Union as a free state and the territories in the west determined the issue of slavery based on popular sovereignty. Following this, slave trade was abolished in Washington, D.C. and the new Fugitive Slave Act was passed. The Fugitive Slave Act was a portion of the Compromise of 1850 and it gave a new protection to slavery.

Through the Louisiana Purchase, Missouri Compromise, Manifest Destiny, Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, the United States developed a unique policy regarding new territories that would greatly affect history and slavery. Although expanding territory would be beneficial to a country if done correctly, the United States suffered fracturing division and eventual civil war indirectly as a result. With lingering questions over the definitions of slave and free states, the country would always face questions regarding slavery whenever a new state wished to enter the Union. Ultimately, the bond of the country would crumble and require reconstruction for many years to come. With endless controversy, unpopular decisions, and poor agreements,

With the adding of California in the Compromise of 1850, the issue of territorial expansion had become subject to debate. This was replaced by the argument over whether the states would be added as slave states or free

He created an omnibus series of bills known collectively as the Compromise of 1850 that were aimed at appeasing both the North and the South. The Compromise of 1850 consisted of four important aspects: California would enter as a free state, the slave trade in Washington D.C. would end, popular sovereignty (the people who lived there) would decide slavery in New Mexico and Utah, and, for the south, a stricter fugitive slave law would be enacted, forcing northern authorities to return escaped slaves to the south. It was not passed in Clay’s lifetime, but its bills were later pushed through by Millard Fillmore after President Zachary Taylor’s death. The Compromise was Henry Clay’s last stand in delaying the onset of the impending Civil

The question of slavery created a deep division among the delegates as many of the northern statesmen regarded slavery as illegal and should be abolished all together. Delegates from the southern states argued that slavery was an integral part of the southern agricultural and economic structure and opposed any plan that would create a stronger central government or include restrictions on the lucrative slave trade. The issue of slavery was treated as a political rather than a moral question that created consequences that legislators struggled with for over eighty years and lead to continued compromises such as the Kansas-Nebraska Act of

This legislation helped to ensure the South’s ‘cotton kings’ would control the presidency for many years to come. In 12 of the first 16 presidential elections, a Southern slave owner

The Actual Compromise The actual compromise had multiple provisions. The Compromise of 1850 called for the admission of California as a free state; the strengthening of the Fugitive Slave Law; popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico concerning the question of slavery; the abolition of the slave trade in D.C.; and the federal assumption of Texas’s debt.   The first one we will discuss is how Texas would have to surrender control of land in exchange for ten million dollars.

There were three important compromises before 1860: The Compromise of 1850, Kansas and Nebraska Act, and The Missouri Compromise. The Compromise of 1850 sought to be beneficial to both the North and South by making California a free state in tandem with creating the Fugitive Slave Act. In reality, it caused the issue of slavery to become a more prominent issue. Fugitive slaves living in the North now feared for their lives, and abolitionists became more resolved on the issue of slavery.

With a desire to achieve the ideology of manifest destiny, the United States called war on Mexico to acquire their land. However, with the United States’ victory came the inevitable debate about slavery in not only the newly acquired territories, but also in the nation as a whole. The nation began to divide on the issue of slavery due to the Missouri Compromise which legalized slavery below the 36°30’ parallel and the Kansas-Nebraska Act which decided that the issue of slavery should be solved by popular sovereignty. Controversy sparked by political decisions like those aforementioned and events about slavery, disputes over slavery status in the territories, and extremist outlooks on the solution to these issues increased sectionalism and

The Civil War was an event that was almost inevitable due to the constant fighting and difference amongst the country. There was no equality and most people only decided on things in which they would be benefitted. The country could only endure so much more division before a war would occur. Numerous events such as John Brown’s Raid, The Compromise of 1820 and 1850, and Bleeding Kansas, but the most significant event is the Election of 1860. The Election of 1860 was significant because it was the start of extreme division between the people and the territories.