A timeline of key events that reflect the major causes of the American Civil War, listed chronologically:

Missouri Compromise (1820)

Admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state; prohibited slavery north of the 36°30′ latitude line in the Louisiana Territory.

Balance of power

The Missouri Compromise affected the balance of power in the Senate between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion (1831)

A violent slave uprising in Virginia led by Nat Turner, resulting in the deaths of white civilians.

Fugitive Slave Act (1850)

Made it a federal crime to assist runaway slaves and required law enforcement to return them to their owners.

Popular Sovereignty

Allowed residents of territories to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, leading to conflicts such as in Kansas.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1852)

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe that galvanized anti-slavery sentiment in the North and depicted the harsh realities of slavery.

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

Supreme Court ruling that declared slaves were not citizens and invalidated the Missouri Compromise.

John Brown’s Raid (1859)

Attempted to start a slave revolt by seizing a federal armory at Harpers Ferry.

Election of Abraham Lincoln (1860)

Lincoln opposed the spread of slavery but wasn’t on Southern ballots, causing fear in the South.

Southern Secession (1860-1861)

Beginning with South Carolina, several states seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America.

Stricter slave laws

Response to Nat Turner’s Rebellion, leading to increased restrictions on the rights of enslaved people and free blacks.

California's admission (1850)

Admitted as a free state, disrupting the Senate balance and fueling slavery expansion debates.

Deepened Southern resentment

Uncle Tom’s Cabin intensified Southern opposition to Northern abolitionism.

Bleeding Kansas

Violence resulting from pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers rushing to influence the vote in Kansas.

Abolitionists' reaction

Many Northerners were outraged by the Dred Scott Decision, while Southerners celebrated it.

Martyr and terrorist

John Brown was viewed as a martyr in the North and a terrorist in the South following his raid.

Sectional mistrust

John Brown’s Raid increased fears and suspicions between the North and South.

Self-determination

South Carolina's justification for secession as they claimed the right to determine their political stance.

Confederate States of America

Formed by Southern states that seceded from the Union over issues primarily related to slavery.

Harsh realities of slavery

The portrayal of slavery in Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped to humanize enslaved people to many Northerners.

Anti-slavery sentiment

Perspective that gained momentum in the North following the publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Violent clashes

Result of tensions in Kansas exacerbated by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Tensions over slavery

The Missouri Compromise was an attempt to ease growing tensions but set the stage for future conflicts.

Property rights in Dred Scott Decision

Claimed that slaves were property and had no legal recourse to sue for freedom.

Lincoln's election viewed as threat

Many Southerners believed Lincoln would undermine or abolish slavery.

Material conditions and rights

Conditions faced by enslaved people prompted actions like Nat Turner’s Rebellion and John Brown’s Raid.

Civil rights struggle

Secession and the ensuing Civil War were deeply rooted in the struggle over civil rights and slavery.

Rebellion significance

Nat Turner's Rebellion was significant as it led to more repressive laws in the South.

Increased fear of abolitionism

Turner's uprising led Southern states to fear increasing abolitionist sentiments.

Senate balance disruptor

Admission of California as a free state was a significant disruptor to the existing Senate balance.

Violence as a response

The Kansas-Nebraska Act's allowance of popular sovereignty led to violent responses in the territory.