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Paper Outline
Thesis statement
- The Compromise of 1850
- Texas becomes a Southern State and the Mexican War ends.
- Popular sovereignty is approved by Congress.
- Slavery is the major cause of tension between the two sides.
- Abolitionists begin war against slavery.
- The Fugitive Slave Act angers the Northern states.
- Abolitionists use the “Underground Railroad” to help slaves escape.
- The release of Uncle Tom’s Cabin causes more tension between the two regions.
- Congress approves The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854.
- The Republican Party is formed.
- Bleeding Kansas causes more agitation among the anti-slavery states.
- Brooks Preston attacks Sumner Charles over Bleeding Kansas speech.
- The Lecompton Constitution is rejected by Kansas voters.
- Dred Scott vs. Sanford decision angers abolitionists.
- African Americans are not American citizens.
- Regardless of the state a slave or master is in, a slave will remain a slave; liberated states do not apply to them.
- John Brown raids Harper’s Ferry.
- Colonel Robert E. Lee capture Brown and his men and after a trial, they are hanged for treason.
- Lincoln Abraham is elected President of America under the Republican Party ticket.
- Secession from the union by South Carolina and other six states causes more tension.
- The winning party dictates that all states joining the union have to be anti-slavery.
Conclusion
- Different events mark the path leading to the Civil War while at the same time, both the Northern and Southern states sought to protect their territorial rights by retaliating to the said events. The war brew for years before the first bullet was shot and by the time the sides went into battle, there had been years of frustration on both sides.
- According to Foner, The Compromise of 1850 causes tension between the Northern and Southern States while rendering the Missouri Compromise inoperative.
- Texas became a Southern State in 1845 while upon the ending of the Mexican War in 1848 Congress approves the Compromise of 1850.
- California is a free state while Mexico and Utah are free to choose a stand with regard to slavery through the popular sovereignty rule.
- While the North has ideas of abolishing slavery, the South’s economy relies on the same. Symonds agrees with this by arguing that this was so because to the Southern States, slavery means cheap labor for the vast cotton plantations, the backbone to the South’s financial stability.
- Abolitionists begin their war against slavery by aiding slaves in escaping from their masters to Canada.
- Fugitive Slave Act, part of the Compromise of 1850 that charges a fine on any federal official who does not arrest runaway slaves is passed.
- Northern states aid slaves escape through “The Underground Railroad” and cause anger among pro-slavery states.
- The antislavery novel, ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ by Harriet Beecher Stowe, depicting information on slaves' mistreatment is released in 1852.
- The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 is approved by Congress. The terms allow Kansas and Nebraska to use popular sovereignty in choosing a stand on the issue of slavery.
- Republican Party is formed after old parties disintegrate. Seward Chase Salmon from Ohio, Turnbull Lyman from Illinois, and William from New York, are the leaders.
- In the same year, pro-slavery states rush to occupy Kansas in a bid to make it a slave state. This leads to a lot of violence resulting to Bleeding Kansas and more agitation to the anti-slavery forces.
- In 1856, Brooks Preston a pro-slavery supporter attacks Sumner Charles who condemns the violence in Kansas blaming it on the Southern States.
- Kansas voters reject the Lecompton Constitution in 1856 making Kansas a liberated state.
- The Dred Scott vs. Sanford decision in 1857 further agitates the anti-slavery forces.
- The ruling dictates that an African-American is not considered an American citizen regardless of being free or a slave.
- Scott is still considered a slave despite his owner’s move to a state that is anti-slavery.
- John Brown and seventeen men raid Harper’s Ferry in a bid to steal weapons and aid the abolitionists’ cause.
- Colonel Robert E. Lee and his men manage to arrest them and after a trial Brown and his men are hanged on charges of treason.
- Lincoln Abraham is elected President in 1860 under the Republican Party ticket.
- This leads to the secession from the Union by six states, including South Carolina.
- The Republican Party dictates that all states joining the union must be anti-slavery.
- Different events mark the path leading to the Civil War while at the same time, both the Northern and Southern states sought to protect their territorial rights by retaliating to the said events. In addition, despite the fact that they happened at different times, all the events and decisions made by both sides contributed to the Civil War. Therefore, it is evident that with each side believing it is right, the Northern and Southern states sought to protect their interest in the war while at the same time, try to ensure stability in their territories.
Work Cited
Blue, Frederick. Why the Civil War Came. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.
Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History (Seagull Third Edition) (Vol. 1). New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2010.
Symonds, Craig. "American Civil War (1861-1865)." The New York Times 22 November 2013.
