The north mainly consisted of abolitionists, people who wanted to abolish slavery. In the South were mainly people that supported slavery. Click here to learn more about important individuals that made an impact on the Civil War. Slavery was legal and it was common to own slaves in the South. Slaves worked for farmers to tend to their crops. And with the help of Eli Whitney's cotton gin, cotton seed removing was as easy as ever (6). Cotton seeds could be removed with the crank of a handle (6). As slavery rapidly increased between 1790 and 1860, tension between the North and South grew (6).
In 1820, Missouri requested to become a slave state (17). There was controversy on this because Missouri could tip the balance between the free and slave states (17). To keep the balance, Massachusetts was carved from Maine to become a free state (17). This is known as the Missouri Compromise. The Compromise of 1850 was created after California wanted to enter the two parts of America, or the Union, as a free state. To balance the sides, certain new southern states became slave states (17). The land from the New Mexican territories and Utah were to be determined by "popular sovereignty". Popular sovereignty meant the states could vote for themselves on whether they wanted to be a slave state or not (17). The Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 said that the Nebraska and Kansas Territories had slavery determined by popular sovereignty (17).
The Election of 1860 was one of the important underlying causes of the Civil War ($). After Abraham Lincoln, an unlikely Republican candidate, was elected as the sixteenth President, South Carolina seceded from the Union in frustration and anger ($). Several other southern states followed, they disagreed with the northern states too much and could not stand it any longer. These states combined to create the Confederate States.
The immediate, or direct cause, leading to the Civil War was when Fort Sumter, one of the defensive strongholds, was attacked by the Confederate states (8). The number of Confederate soldiers greatly outnumbered the number of the soldiers from the Union (8). The Union was forced to surrender because they couldn’t fight back (8). All of these events built up to lead to the Civil War. The Civil War started shortly after Fort Sumter was bombed.
In 1820, Missouri requested to become a slave state (17). There was controversy on this because Missouri could tip the balance between the free and slave states (17). To keep the balance, Massachusetts was carved from Maine to become a free state (17). This is known as the Missouri Compromise. The Compromise of 1850 was created after California wanted to enter the two parts of America, or the Union, as a free state. To balance the sides, certain new southern states became slave states (17). The land from the New Mexican territories and Utah were to be determined by "popular sovereignty". Popular sovereignty meant the states could vote for themselves on whether they wanted to be a slave state or not (17). The Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854 said that the Nebraska and Kansas Territories had slavery determined by popular sovereignty (17).
The Election of 1860 was one of the important underlying causes of the Civil War ($). After Abraham Lincoln, an unlikely Republican candidate, was elected as the sixteenth President, South Carolina seceded from the Union in frustration and anger ($). Several other southern states followed, they disagreed with the northern states too much and could not stand it any longer. These states combined to create the Confederate States.
The immediate, or direct cause, leading to the Civil War was when Fort Sumter, one of the defensive strongholds, was attacked by the Confederate states (8). The number of Confederate soldiers greatly outnumbered the number of the soldiers from the Union (8). The Union was forced to surrender because they couldn’t fight back (8). All of these events built up to lead to the Civil War. The Civil War started shortly after Fort Sumter was bombed.