What are two inportant events that led to the civil war? I already wrote about the snowball/bullet fight I need why there was a lot of tension, and one more reason plus the explanation.
Two important events that led to the Civil War in the United States were the "Missouri Compromise" and the "Dred Scott Decision."
1. The Missouri Compromise: The Missouri Compromise was a legislative decision enacted in 1820 to address the issue of slavery in new territories admitted to the Union. At that time, there was a delicate balance between free and slave states in the United States. When Missouri sought admission as a slave state, it threatened to disrupt this balance. Eventually, a compromise was reached - Maine would enter as a free state, while Missouri would enter as a slave state. Additionally, it was established that slavery would be prohibited in the rest of the Louisiana Territory north of the southern boundary of Missouri (36°30' parallel). Though it temporarily eased tensions, the Missouri Compromise indirectly highlighted the growing division between the North, which opposed slavery, and the South, which supported it.
2. The Dred Scott Decision: The Dred Scott Decision, handed down by the Supreme Court in 1857, had a profound impact on the nation's slavery debate. Dred Scott, an enslaved African American, had resided in free states before returning to Missouri. With the help of abolitionist lawyers, he sought legal freedom. However, the Supreme Court, in a highly controversial ruling, declared that Scott was not entitled to freedom. The court also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, claiming that Congress had no power to regulate slavery in the territories. This decision exacerbated tensions between the North and the South as it drew a clear line supporting the rights of slaveholders. The Dred Scott Decision further fueled the abolitionist movement in the North and contributed to the widening divide between the two regions.
In conclusion, the Missouri Compromise and the Dred Scott Decision played significant roles in intensifying tensions leading up to the Civil War. The compromise exposed the growing divide between those who supported or opposed slavery, while the court ruling in Dred Scott's case challenged the authority of Congress to regulate slavery in the territories. These events heightened sectionalism and set the stage for the larger conflicts that eventually erupted into the Civil War.