Causes+of+the+Civil+War?+At+what+point+was+war+inevitable?+TB

The civil war is said to have been provoked by more than one cause. During one of these causes, however it appears that the US was now going to be involved in a war with itself. The great compromiser Henry Clay constructed the Missouri compromise in 1820. It stated that any states above the 36' 30 line would be free and any states below would be open to slavery. Many at the time realized that this solution would only be a temporary one. The Missouri compromise caused the civil war. The Missouri compromise was the beginning of other issues that came shortly after this. During the 1850 compromise it became a big issue when California wanted to enter the union. President Polk's compromise decision was to continue the line drawn by the Missouri compromise out to the Pacific Ocean. This would allow the slavery in the territories south of the line and not in the territories north of the line. It was during the deciding on whether or not California would be slave of free that the first convention in the south was called to come together and discuss leaving the union. The Fugitive Slave Law was also being enforced and the North was required to capture runaway slaves and return them to the south. As a result the North was very angered, because they didn't want anything at all to do with slaves and slavery. Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book titled Uncle Tom's Cabin as a direct response to the Fugitive Slave Law. This was the first printed piece that shared the immortality of slavery. The publication of this novel caused the North to become more anti-slavery and the South claimed it was a complete lie. In 1854 the Missouri compromise was demolished and not until the Dred Scott Case that it was declared unconstitutional. The Kansas Nebraska Act opened new slave territory and the South jumped at the opportunity to expand slavery. This was the first time when popular sovereignty was being considered, Stephen Douglas makes this part of the

Kansas Nebraska Act. In 1857 the Dred Scott Case was brought up and used to defend slave owner rights. The Supreme Court also declared the Missouri compromise unconstitutional stating there should be no "line in the sand" declaring where slavery should and should not be. The election of 1860 proved to be a defining moment when Lincoln won the presidential election as the 16th president. At this point the South comes together and succeeds from the union. These succession states together form the Confederate States of America, and elect Jefferson Davis as president. The Civil War proves to be a time when the US breaks apart. The Missouri compromise was the beginning of the states reconciling. Other things also added to the conflict as well such as, the 1850 compromise, the published Uncle Tom's Cabin, Kansas Nebraska Act, Dred Scott Case, and the Election of 1860.