Major Events Before The Civil War

Allen Chanthirat

11/15/12

1. Around 1858, the United States was divided geographically, the north and south had different religous views and other differences depending on the region they were from. The south was dependent on slavery for the labor they spend on agriculture (e.g. farming). The north became more industrialized.
2. The country was so divided by the issue of slavery, California needed the Compromise of 1850 to become a state. The Compromise of 1850 let new states decide whether they wanted slavery or not.
3. Around this time, many southern states were seriously considering secession, which is a term for a state leaving the union.
4. Many people from the north hated slavery and a group of "abolitionists" which was a group of people who helped slaves escape slavery, helped the slaves by hiding them along the path to Canada. Also known as the Underground railroad.
5. When Uncle Tom's Cabin was published, northern abolitionists became angry and the southern people felt like it was a book that criticized their way of life
6. Two politicians became famous for their slavery debates : Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln.
These two politicians felt slavery was unjust, although they had two perspectives through the way they saw slavery. Douglas believed it would be up to the state to decide whether slavery should be allowed in that state or not, while Lincoln believed slavery should not be allowed at all.
7. On December 20, 1860, after Lincoln was elected president, the states began secession. The first state to secession was South Carolina.