The Election of 1860 & the Road to Disunion: Crash Course US History #18

What was the main cause of the Civil War?

Slavery was the main cause of the Civil War.

What was the Fugitive Slave Law?

The Fugitive Slave Law, part of the Compromise of 1850, made it mandatory for citizens to turn in anyone they knew to be a slave and required them to enforce a law they found abhorrent.

Why did many people of color move to Canada?

The Fugitive Slave Law caused many people of color to move to Canada, which at the time was still an English colony.

What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854?

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, proposed by Illinois Congressman Stephen Douglas, aimed to bind the union together and promote Illinois' interests by creating a transcontinental railroad.

What was the impact of the Kansas-Nebraska Act?

The Act formalized the idea of popular sovereignty, allowing white residents of states to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. This effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise, which had previously banned slavery in new states north of a certain line. This led to violence in Kansas, and some argue that it was the start of the Civil War.

What was the Republican Party?

The Kansas-Nebraska Act caused the creation of the Republican Party, a coalition of former free soilers, northern anti-slavery Whigs, and 'Know Nothings', which was mainly comprised of supporters from the free states in the North and West.

Why did the Abolitionists see the introduction of slavery in Kansas and Nebraska as a threat to the North's economic interests?

The Abolitionists saw the introduction of slavery in Kansas and Nebraska as a threat to the North's economic interests.

Who was John C. Fremont?

John C. Fremont was the first presidential candidate for the Republican Party in 1856, who attracted votes from the North and West.

What was the Lecompton Constitution?

The pro-slavery Lecompton Constitution was passed and Stephen Douglas supported it as an example of popular sovereignty.

What was the Dred Scott Decision?

In 1857, Chief Justice Roger B. Taney of the Supreme Court ruled that all black people could be considered as property and had no rights that the white man was bound to respect. This ruling meant that a slave owner could take their slaves from one state to another and they would still remain slaves.

What was the Mystery Document?

The Mystery Document was a game in which the author had to guess the author of the document, and in return they would receive a prize.

Who was John Brown?

In 1859, John Brown led a failed raid on the Federal Arsenal at Harper's Ferry hoping to arm slaves and bring about a revolution.

Who were the presidential candidates in the Election of 1860?

The Republican Party nominated Abraham Lincoln as their candidate, the Democratic Party nominated John C Breckenridge of Kentucky, and the Constitutional Union Party nominated John Bell of Tennessee.

What was the outcome of the Election of 1860?

Lincoln won the election with majority votes in many populous states, leading to several southern states seceding from the union.

When did the Civil War begin?

The Civil War began on April 12th, 1861 when the Confederate states fired on the Union garrison at Fort Sumter.

Why was the Civil War inevitable?

Despite the firing on Fort Sumter, the Civil War was inevitable due to events stretching back to the 1600s and the arrival of the first African slaves in Virginia. The failure of the US to acknowledge the inalienable rights of black Americans is what ultimately made the Civil War inevitable.