Civil War: North vs. South and Steps to War

Fugitive Slave Act

One part of the Compromise of 1850, this law stated that escaped slaves must be returned to masters even if they were in the North, and set harsh punishments for those assisting runaway slaves.

Dred Scott

He was a slave who was taken to free territory. He sued for his freedom and the Supreme Court declared that slaves are property, not citizens.

South Carolina

First state to secede/leave the Union in 1860.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America, in the south 1861 - 1865.

Abraham Lincoln

President of the U.S., 1861-1865

Cotton

#1 Cash Crop in the South in the 1800's.

Compromise of 1850

Law passed that gave North and South part of what they wanted. California admitted as free state, slave trade abolished in DC, and new fugitive slave law passed; advocated by Henry Clay

Kansas-Nebraska Act

1854: Created Nebraska (north) and Kansas (south) as states and gave the people in those territories the right to chose to be a free or slave state through popular sovereignty.

John Brown

Abolitionist involved in violence in Kansas. In 1859, he led a raid of a government arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, with the intention of arming slaves and starting a revolt. He became a hero of the abolitionists in the Civil War.

Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate, won because the Democratic party in the South was split over slavery. As a result, the South no longer felt like it had a voice in politics and 11 states seceded from the Union.

Harriet Beacher Stowe

The author of the book Uncle Toms Cabin that persuaded people to want to end slavery.

"Bleeding Kansas"

(1856) a series of violent fights between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in Kansas who had moved to Kansas to try to influence the decision of whether or not Kansas would a slave state or a free state.

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that power/decisions are with the people.

secede (secession)

To leave or withdraw

Missouri Compromise

Laws enacted in 1820 to maintain balance of power between slave and free states by making Missouri a slave state and Maine a free state. A line was drawn above Missouri to solve future debates

Nat Turner

Slave who in 1831 led a rebellion of slaves in Virginia. Due to fear of more rebellions, it led to harsher slave laws in southern states

confederacy

A loose alliance of states into one country where the states have more power than the national government

urban

relating to a city

Rural

Relating to farm areas and life in the country

tariff

a tax on imported goods

import

bring (goods or services) into a country for sale.

manufactured

make (something) on a large scale using machinery

Southern economy

relied on slavery for their cash crops

Northern Economy

Factories manufactured goods like textile and steel

Nullify (nullification)

To cancel or make illegal

Southern Constitutional beliefs

Believed in state rights and could nullify any law made by Congress

Northern Constitutional beliefs

Believed in a strong central government and national laws ruled above all

Northern belief on tariffs

Supported tariffs to protect factory owners and workers jobs from foreign (other countries) competition

Southern belief on tariffs

Against tariffs due to the fear Britain would stop buying cotton

Blockade

Sealing off a place to prevent goods or people from entering or leaving.

Union

During the Civil War, this name came to mean the government and armies of the North