APUSH Unit 4

What were the primary events and issues that led to the American Civil War?

The main causes of the American Civil War included:

1. Slavery: The fundamental disagreement over the morality and legality of slavery, particularly its expansion into new territories.

2. Economic Differences: The industrializing North and the agrarian South, which relied heavily on slave labor, developed divergent economic interests.

3. States' Rights: Southern states argued for the right to govern themselves without federal interference, especially regarding slavery.

4. Political Compromises and Failures: A series of legislative attempts to reconcile sectional differences, such as the Missouri Compromise, Compromise of 1850, and Kansas-Nebraska Act, ultimately failed to prevent conflict.

5. Abolitionist Movement: Growing anti-slavery sentiment and activism in the North intensified Southern fears.

6. Key Events:

   • Dred Scott Decision (1857): The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and Congress could not ban slavery in territories.

   • John Brown's Raid (1859): An attempt by abolitionist John Brown to initiate a slave revolt in Harpers Ferry further polarized the nation.

   • Election of Abraham Lincoln (1860): Lincoln's victory, on an anti-slavery expansion platform, prompted Southern states to secede.

Sectionalism

The division of the United States into regions with distinct cultural, economic, and political differences, primarily between the North and South, which contributed to tensions leading to the Civil War.

Civil war turning point battles

Significant engagements during the Civil War that marked decisive shifts in strategy and outcome, including the Battle of Gettysburg and the Battle of Vicksburg.

Lincoln’s war measures

Policies and actions taken by President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War to preserve the Union, including the Emancipation Proclamation and military strategies.