Civil War Disunion

Once upon a time our country of freedom, our United States, was once a country very un-united. From the year 1820 to 1861, important events in history took place that triggered disunion of the United States and start of the Civil War. Some decades only consist of one key event while other decades consist of a few. With the disunion separating the North and the South, each side had different opinions on why they were fighting a war, either because they were pro slavery or anti-slavery. All of the following events are significant because they added fuel to the fire, instigating the Civil War. Slavery was on a decline before an invention came along. Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which increased slavery in the nation. The growth of the

During the Mexican- American war, it became clear that the United States was going to gain territory from Mexico. The Wilmot Proviso was a treaty that banned slavery in any land that the United States gained from Mexico from the war. According to American Historama, David Wilmot wrote, “Provided that as an express and fundamental condition to the acquisition of any territory from the Republic of Mexico by the United States, by virtue, of any treaty that may be negotiated between them, and the use by the Executive of moneys herein appropriated, neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of said territory, except for crime, whereof the party shall first be duly convicted” (Web). The goal is to ban all land gained after the Mexican American War. This kept the US divided because the people of the South were angry it did not pass, being pro slavery. It did not pass because the amount of states that are pro slavery versus the amount of states that were against slavery were equal. Therefore, the bill passed in the North, but not in the

The Kansas Nebraska Act was a law passed by congress in 1854. The main reason it is passed is because Steven Douglass attempted to get a transcontinental railroad through California. He thought that the quickest process of building a railroad would be to re organize the rest of Louisiana territory into two territories (Staff, History.com Kansas Nebraska Act).He owned land in this area, and he wanted to get the railroad to go through his land (Staff, History.com Kansas Nebraska Act) . The Kansas- Nebraska Act would cancel out the Missouri Compromise. When Kansas wanted to join the union, the people of the area were able to vote if they wanted it to be slave free or pro slavery. People that supported slavery swarmed into Kansas and burned down a hotel, and they saw this as a victory (The sack of Lawrence Kansas 1856). However, abolitionists fought back and killed men, who they thought were responsible, in front of their families. This is where the idea of Bleeding Kansas comes from. Pro- slavery groups rushed supporters into Kansas to vote for pro- slavery legislatures. They passed a law making it illegal to question slavery whatsoever. Anti-slavery people formed their own legislature. To sum it up, pro- slavery groups had a bloodshed with the anti-slavery people. After this, more attacks happened, and 600 people were killed in Kansas after these events took place. The violence in Kansas