Mr. Kersey.org - Mr. Kersey's Lecture Notes

The Nation Divides: The Road to the Civil War

(Lecture Notes from Mr. Kersey's 8th Grade U.S. History Class)

In an attempt to organize the Louisiana Territory so a new railroad could be built, Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act.
The new law divided the remainder of the Louisiana Territory into the separate territories of Kansas and Nebraska.
The question of slavery in each territory would be decided by popular sovereignty.
This eliminated the restriction of slavery north of 36°30’.
The whole point of the law was to organize the land for a new railroad that would run to the Pacific from the ocean, but this was lost in the arguing.
People rushed to the new territory of Kansas and it wasn’t long before violence broke out, with pro and anti-slavery groups fighting.
There was even violence in Congress. It was a sign of things to come.

In October of 1859, an abolitionist named John Brown lead a raid on Harper’s Ferry, VA.
He and his men captured a federal arsenal there and then attempted to start a slave revolt.
Unfortunately, slaves did not join the revolt. Instead citizens from the surrounding area attacked Brown and his men. Brown and his surviving followers retreated to a firehouse.
After federal troops arrived, Brown was captured and eventually hanged.
The raid on Harper’s Ferry convinced many southerners that their way of life would never be safe in the Union.

During all of this, it was time to elect another president.
Northern Democrats nominated Stephen Douglas, while Southern Democrats nominated V.P. John Breckenridge.
Meanwhile, a new party formed, the Constitutional Union Party, whose members strictly supported the Constitution.
They nominated a slave-holder named John Bell.
Finally the Republicans nominated Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln opposed the spread of slavery, but did not want to abolish it where it already existed.
Because of the 4-way split, Lincoln won the election with less than 40% of the popular vote.
Lincoln’s victory angered the South. He had not won a single Southern state.

In December 1860, South Carolina voted to leave the Union.
In February 1861 Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas followed South Carolina’s lead.

These Southern states then formed the Confederate States of America. They drafted a constitution and elected Jefferson Davis as president.
President-Elect Lincoln knew the Union had to be saved.