1. The Civil War was caused by four main factors: slavery, states' rights vs federal authority, economic differences between industrial North and agrarian South, and political extremism on both sides. 2. The Mexican War territories exacerbated tensions over the expansion of slavery. Several compromises were proposed but failed to satisfy both sides. 3. The Compromise of 1850 attempted to placate both the North and South through concessions on slavery in the territories, D.C., and fugitive slave laws, but it did not resolve the core issues.

1. 1. 4 Main Causes of the Civil War
a. . Slavery-growing moral issue vs. defense of and expansion of slavery
b. Constitutional disputes over states vs. federal rights
c. Economic differences-industrialization vs. agrarian society, the American
System
d. Political blunders and extremism on both sides
2. The future of the Mexican War territories threatened national unity.
a. Wilmot Proviso had failed to pass because it upset the Missouri
Compromise balance of 15 and 15.
b. Led to the creation of the Free Soil party-free soil, free labor, free men,
c. South demanded its rights, moderates called out to extend the Missouri
Compromise to the ocean
d. Lewis Cass called for popular sovereignty-voters determine their laws
e. Election of 1848-Democrats ran Cass, Whigs ran Zachary Taylor, Free
Soil ran Van Buren
f. Webster, Clay, and Calhoun all called out for unity and compromise.
3. Lots of settlers in CA, wanted a constitution to have law and order, wanted to ban
slavery, Taylor agreed, early talk of secession in the South
a. Death of Taylor hastened compromise
4. The Compromise of 1850 attempted to placate both sides in an attempt for peace.
1. The North-California as a free state, no slave trade in DC, land
between NM and TX would be counted as NM, NM and UT would be
open to popular sovereignty
2. South-tougher Fugitive Slave Law, Texas got their pre-annexation
debt paid, Congress would not have jurisdiction over the slave trade,
slavery not abolished in DC
3. Fillmore takes over and gets this passed with the help of Stephen
Douglas who broke up the bill into pieces to secure passage
5. The Whig and Democratic parties were in crisis and weakening, and popular
sovereignty in Kansas were causing political instability
a. Election of 1852-Democrats ran Pierce, dark horse from New Hampshire,
Whigs ran Winfield Scott, Free Soilers ran John Hale, Pierce wins, very pro-
southern
6. Kansas Nebraska Act-1854
a. Stephen Douglas wanted to get a bill passed to build a transcontinental railroad
with a major terminus in Chicago. To get southern support he introduced the
Kansas-Nebraska Act to organize those territories via popular sovereignty-both
were above the 36 30, bill was passed
b. Let to repeal of the Missouri Compromise as law of the land and the creation of
the Republican Party as the new voice of anti-slavery, Know Nothings opposition to
immigration and Catholics
7. Election of 1856-Democrats go with Buchanan-Pierce and Douglas too controversial
now due to Kansas Nebraska Act, Know Nothings go with Millard Fillmore, Republicans
go with John Fremont, although Fremont lost he captured enough Northern votes to
expose the power of the North over the White House

2. 8. Bleeding Kansas-1856
a. Kansas was essentially free farmers opposed to slavery so Douglas expected
them to vote against slavery
b. Missouri sent in many homesteaders to try and sway the people toward
slavery, called border ruffians
c. New England Immigrant Aid Society responded by paying for abolitionists to
settle in Kansas,
d. fighting and violence broke out with abolitionists and border ruffians, town of
Lawrence is sacked
e. 2 governments emerged-LeCompton with slavery and Topeka without slavery,
f. John Brown and the Pottawatomie Creek Massacre in retaliation for Lawrence
9. Senator Charles Sumner gave a speech in the Senate called the Crime Against Kansas,
a. Congressman Preston Brooks, nephew of Andrew Butler in the Senate, came
onto the floor and beat Sumner into unconsciousness with a cane.
b. House voted to censure him, he resigns and is then reelected
10. Constitutional Issues
a. LeCompton constitution-Buchanon asked Congress to accept it even though it
did not reflect the will of the majority, Congress did not, Kansas rejected it
b. Dred Scott v Sanford-slave in Missouri, traveled to Wisconsin, sued for
freedom
1. Taney was chief justice-ruled that Scott couldn’t sue because he
wasn’t a citizen, Congress could not deprive people of property
without due process so Congress couldn’t exclude slavery from
any area, Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
c. Lincoln Douglas debates-Douglas running for Senate seat in Illinois, Lincoln ran
against him, house divided speech, issue was slavery, Freeport doctrine, Douglas
won but this put Lincoln on the national stage
11. Agitation over slavery
a. Fugitive slave act
b. Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman
c. Literature-Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Impending Crisis of the South, Sociology for
the South(equal rights for unequal men) and Cannibals All(capitalist system worse then
slavery)(George Fitzhugh)