Causes of the

The Relationship of the North and

South
Slavery in the North in the mid 1800s was waning in
popularity with the industrialization of this region
Slavery also was beginning to die out in the South,
until the invention of the Cotton Gin (Eli Whitney)
The country was becoming divided

First Causes
The North and the South were bitterly divided in the
1850s
The South started to like the idea of being
independent from the United States
With the election of a Republican, Abraham Lincoln
was one of the last straws
Wilmot Proviso was a law that made any territory
gained from Mexico free of slavery, the Souths main
investment
Tensions became higher

More Causes
Compromise of 1850: California enters as a free state
and slavery is abolished in Washington D.C.
Uncle Toms Cabin (a runaway slave escapes to the
North) is published and raises more people to the light
about slavery
Fugitive Slave Act- blacks can be arrested without a
warrant and returned to their owners
The South saw this as a good act, the North was now
faced with the issue of slavery in their own area

More Causes
Popular Sovereignty-new states can decide if they
want to be free or not
John Brown emerges as an abolitionist to slavery
Senator Charles Sumner is attacked on the Senate
floor and hit with a cane 30 times by a slavery
supporter
Republican Party is formed in the 1850s. One of their
main stances? They are against slavery
What party do you think elects the next president?

More Causes
Dred Scott case proves to be a huge problem
It is ruled that blacks are property and hold no rights
The North became mad at this idea
Roger B. Taney was the person who ruled against Dred
Scott
John Brown wanted to take over Harpers Ferry
(arsenal in Virginia) and start a slavery rebellion
His plan ends horribly as no slaves rise to help him. He
is tried for treason and hanged publically. The North
had more reasons to be mad

More Causes
In 1860, a Republican from Illinois is elected president.
He is Abraham Lincoln
The North has a larger population so he wins
The South fears that Abraham Lincoln will abolish
slavery. This is the last straw

Secession
The first state to secede was South Carolina on
December 20th, 1860
Within 6 weeks, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia,
Louisiana, and Texas went too
Jefferson Davis is elected president of the Confederate
States of America
The North saw this as unconstitutional

Lincoln
In March of 1861, Lincoln is sworn in as the 16th
president of the United States
In his inaugural address, Lincoln states that he will not
interfere with slavery where it exists, but will wage
war if the Union is attacked

Sources
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