History is a wonderful thing, sometimes it can be boring, all the facts, dates, and so many other things to know. One thing i've come to understand better is our connection with history and why it can be so important, as i wrote this essay about Expansion and what led to the Civil war it became more clear that history is a big part of our world today. Everything we do could be tied to something that was done in the past, we create history everyday. The more we learn of our history the better we can prepare for our future. How much have we as a country learned from the Civil war? Could it ever happen again? it seems to happen all over the world today.
#1Expansion and the Civil War
The expansion that occurred during the 1850’s and eventually led to the Civil War can be compared to a popcorn kernel, eventually the heat will cause a reaction and the kernel will have nothing else to do but burst out of its shell and expand. The country was expanding at such rapid rates. It was difficult to control the new land, what could and could not be done in it, and how it was to be divided for slavery. In this essay I’ll describe events that occurred during expansion and how they lead to the civil war, also what finally led to the War? and why?
As Americans began to spread west, it was necessary to decide which states would be free states and which would allow slavery. As before The Missouri Compromise had set a line to where slavery was allowed. In the Compromise of 1850 the line was essentially done away with and resolved California as a free state while New Mexico and the Utah territories were left to be decided upon popular sovereignty, or a vote for or against slavery. Even since the Missouri compromise a shadow of civil war seemed to be hanging around, such a divide in a country could never be a good thing. As well the Compromise of 1850 included the Fugitive Slave act, which gave federal agents the ability to return runaway slaves from the north, and also abolished the slave trade. A crisis almost broke out in 1850 in the south, the governor of South Carolina threatened to leave the Union. They were planning on doing this in order to protect their Southern Rights, through secession. Most of those involved stayed committed to the Union, but barely.
It appeared that the Fugitive Slave Act was the most heated part of the Compromise. It brought about a lot of hostility in the north as they saw the slave catchers. Many Abolitionists and free blacks in the north began to help fugitive slaves, by averting the catchers and helping them escape. Another interesting detail that increased hostility in the north was Harriet Beecher Stowes novel in 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This gave people in the north an empathetic view of what those slaves had to go through. The divide also began to tear apart the political parties of the time. Eventually leading to Free-Soilers and abolitionists, a new Republican party. As many settlers came into the Kansas territory the popular sovereignty was put to test, it eventually led to what is known as “Bleeding Kansas.” It was basically a warm up war between the north and south. Things began to escalate and violence broke out on both sides, Free-Soilers against pro slavery gangs leading to the death of almost two hundred lives. Another bit of fuel to the fire was the Dred Scott decision, which basically stated that blacks enslaved or free could not be citizens.
The Final straw that was pulled was the election of President Lincoln. The Democratic Party could no longer protect the south and their interests. From the election of Abraham Lincoln in November 1860 to March 1861 when he came into office, the country had completely divided. The secession began first with South Carolina, and other states in the Deep South followed. President Lincoln’s inaugural address in March stated his views on slavery and the Union, and made it clear that he would protect slavery where it existed but would not let it expand. He also declared that it was illegal for the Confederate states secede from the Union. He gave a choice to the South, either return to the Union or enter into war. Those in the south new it was the Republicans job to meddle in everything, they knew that they would soon try to completely abolish slavery, and take away rights the they thought were theirs.
In conclusion we can see many events that caused a divide as the country was expanding, The Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act, the divide of the political parties and other incidents that occurred. All of these things affected the country and eventually caused a great divide among them, which led to the Civil War.
