All Encompassing Essay

There were many events in the mid-1800’s that drove the North and the South further and further apart. As a result, a war between the two sides seemed inevitable. The first event that caused major tension between the two was the Fugitive Slave Act. The next event that pushed the nation towards war was “Bleeding Kansas.” Finally, the Election of 1860 was the match that started the fire of Civil War. Overall, there were many events that led the nation to Civil War, most prominent of which were The Fugitive Slave Act, “Bleeding Kansas” and the Election of 1860.

The North and the South had been very different for many years, but the Fugitive Slave Act caused serious tension between the two regions. This major event was when escaped slaves had to be returned to their owners. The slaves had no rights. They did not have the right to a jury trial and they could not testify for themselves. If someone was convicted of helping a slave escape they would have a fee of $1,000.00 and/or 6 months in prison. The south loved this act and supported it all the way but the North felt opposite. The North formed committees to send African American Slaves to Canada. This was the beginning of something that would turn into a big disaster but there was way more coming.

The second major event that caused tension between the North and the South was “Bleeding Kansas.” This event occurred because of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1856 was an act that allowed the territories to determine whether they would be slave or free states by popular sovereignty. The reason this act was so important because it It repealed the Missouri Compromise and led to a disturbing debate in Congress. The South had men that were Pro-slavery and were moving from Missouri into the Kansas Territory to vote for slavery. While the North had men that were Anti-slavery (known as Jay Hawkers) were moving to the Kansas territory to vote against slavery. This didn’t lead