Identify items (events or factors) that led to the Civil War through your work in your class lessons. Be sure to include factors that cover a variety of areas—social, political, and economic.
2. Identify a date associated with each item. Be as specific as possible. If your item is a single event, include the month, day, and year. If it’s not a single event, include the month and year, or just a year.
3. Identify visuals to represent each item you choose.
4. Write a caption (one or two sentences) explaining how your visual corresponds to the item.
5. Write a summary (at least one paragraph) explaining how the item helped to lead to the outbreak of the Civil War
1. Missouri Compromise of 1820
- Date: March 3, 1820
- Visual: Map of the United States showing free and slave states
- Caption: The Missouri Compromise drew a line across the country, establishing which states allowed slavery and which ones did not, highlighting the growing tension between the North and South over the issue of slavery.
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 exacerbated the divide between free and slave states, setting the stage for future conflicts over the expansion of slavery into the western territories. This national debate further fueled sectionalism and pushed the country towards civil war.
2. Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court Decision
- Date: March 6, 1857
- Visual: Courtroom illustration of the Dred Scott case
- Caption: The Dred Scott decision declared that African Americans could not be U.S. citizens and upheld the rights of slaveholders, deepening the divide between the North and South over the issue of slavery.
The Supreme Court's ruling in Dred Scott v. Sandford further heightened tensions between the North and South, as it denied the rights of African Americans and solidified the legality of slavery in the United States. This decision fueled abolitionist sentiment in the North and strengthened the resolve of secessionists in the South, ultimately leading to the outbreak of the Civil War.