Road to succession

The Road to Succession

The period leading up to the Civil War, including key events, individuals, and movements that shaped the conflict.

Post Compromise of 1850

Following the Compromise of 1850, reform movements spread, but abolitionism gained the most traction.

Abolitionism

Movement dedicated to ending slavery, which gained prominence during this period.

Fredrick Douglass

Abolitionist leader who argued that slavery not only harmed slaves but also the entire nation. Famous quote: "No man can put a chain around the ankle of his fellow man without at last finding the other end fastened about his own neck."

William Lloyd Garrison, Elijah Lovejoy, Theodore Dwight Weld

Key radical abolitionists. Weld wrote "A Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses" advocating for the abolition of slavery.

Harriet Beecher Stowe

Author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel that mobilized the abolitionist movement and heightened tensions with the South.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

A law written by Stephen Douglas allowing Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide slavery through popular sovereignty. This led to violent conflicts in Kansas (Bleeding Kansas).

Stephen Douglas

U.S. Senator from Illinois who wrote the Kansas-Nebraska Act and pushed for a railroad through Chicago.

Andrew Butler

Senator who agreed to the Kansas-Nebraska Act in exchange for Kansas territory to be granted to him.

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that settlers in a territory should decide whether slavery would be allowed there.

Bleeding Kansas

A violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas in the 1850s over whether to allow slavery in the state.

Charles Sumner

Senator who condemned the pro-slavery violence in Kansas in his "Crime Against Kansas" speech. He was attacked by Preston Brooks, Butler's cousin, in the Senate.

Preston Brooks

South Carolina Congressman who brutally attacked Charles Sumner in retaliation for his speech against slavery.

Pottawatomie Creek Massacre

John Brown and abolitionists killed five pro-slavery settlers in Kansas, escalating violence.

Topeka vs. Lecompton

Competing constitutions for Kansas: Topeka (abolitionist) vs. Lecompton (pro-slavery). Kansas eventually became a free state.

Republican Party

Political party formed in 1856 primarily to oppose the expansion of slavery.

Dred Scott v. Sanford

Landmark Supreme Court case where Dred Scott, an enslaved man, sued for his freedom. The Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.

Roger Taney

Chief Justice who ruled in the Dred Scott case, declaring African Americans were not citizens and the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during the Illinois Senate race in 1858. Lincoln became a prominent Republican voice despite losing the election.

The Freeport Doctrine

Douglas's stance that slavery could be excluded from territories by local legislation, regardless of the Dred Scott decision.

John Brown

Radical abolitionist who led violent actions against slavery, including the raid on Harpers Ferry, which aimed to start a slave revolt.

Harpers Ferry Raid

John Brown's 1859 raid on the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, intended to arm slaves and start a rebellion. The raid was unsuccessful, and Brown was executed.

John Brown's Legacy

While viewed as a martyr by abolitionists in the North, the South saw him as a terrorist who sought to incite violence against them.

Election of 1860

Abraham Lincoln's election as President, marking a turning point toward the Civil War due to his anti-slavery platform.

John C. Breckinridge

Southern Democratic candidate in the 1860 election, advocating for the expansion of slavery.

Stephen Douglas

Northern Democratic candidate in the 1860 election, who supported popular sovereignty.

Abraham Lincoln

Republican candidate in the 1860 election who opposed the expansion of slavery but did not immediately seek its abolition in Southern states.

John Bell

Constitutional Union candidate in the 1860 election who sought to preserve the Union through compromise.

Black Republicanism

A term used by the South to describe the Republican Party, viewing them as abolitionists and anti-slavery extremists.

Election Outcome of 1860

Lincoln won the presidency, leading several Southern states to secede from the Union.

Know-Nothing Party

A nativist political party that opposed immigration and Catholicism. The party's decline gave way to the rise of the Republican Party, particularly in the election of 1856.

Montgomery Conference

Meeting in which Southern states, including South Carolina, unanimously voted to leave the Union.

Confederate States of America

A new nation formed by Southern states that seceded, led by President Jefferson Davis and Vice President Alexander Stephens.

Crittenden Compromise

A failed proposal to amend the U.S. Constitution and preserve slavery in the South to avoid civil war, rejected by Lincoln.

Lincoln's Inauguration

Lincoln took office in 1861, rejecting the legitimacy of secession and asserting his intent to preserve the Union.

Fort Sumter

A federal fort in South Carolina that was shelled by the Confederacy on April 12, 1861, marking the start of the Civil War.

The Border States

Slave states that remained loyal to the Union during the Civil War: Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri.

Robert E. Lee

Confederate general and former U.S. Army officer who chose to fight for the Confederacy due to his loyalty to Virginia.

Virginia's Secession

Virginia's decision to leave the Union was a significant blow to the Union cause due to its military importance.

Confederacy vs. Union

The Civil War was fought between the Union (22 states) and the Confederacy (11 states), with the Union seeking to preserve the United States and the Confederacy fighting to maintain slavery and independence.

Democratic Split in 1860

The Democratic Party split in 1860 over the issue of slavery, with Northern Democrats supporting Stephen Douglas's stance on popular sovereignty and Southern Democrats backing John C. Breckinridge's pro-slavery platform.

Lincoln's Stance on Slavery

Lincoln's position was that slavery should not expand into new territories, but he did not initially advocate for immediate abolition in the Southern states. This moderated stance helped him gain support from border states and moderates in the North.

"A House Divided" Speech

Lincoln's famous 1858 speech in which he argued that the nation could not endure permanently half slave and half free. It became a key moment in his rise as a national political figure.

Jefferson Davis

As the President of the Confederacy, Davis played a critical role in organizing the Confederate government, directing its military strategy, and responding to Union actions during the war.

Military Strategies & Fort Sumter

The Confederacy's initial military strategy involved defending its territory and seeking foreign recognition, while the Union's goal was to preserve the Union, eventually moving toward the abolition of slavery.