Southern Secession

Southern Secession

The North and the South were equally the aggressors in the issue with slavery. Both had violent outbreaks and uncalled for situations. The South had different laws that pushed slavery even further and the North proposed laws to stop slavery from spreading. Both sides being unhappy caused many outbreaks to occur.

In 1847, David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso to stop the spread of slavery in any land acquired from Mexico. The plan was passed, which made the South upset. Anti-slavery outbreaks occurred frequently. In 1856, violence broke out in Kansas due to the Kansas Nebraska Act. The conflict was between the Northerners and Southerners about whether or not Kansas should become a free-state or slave state. Border Ruffians came over to vote illegally so Kansas would become a pro-slavery state. Kansas was filled with violence with mob, public hangings, and beatings. John Brown contributed to many of the violence that occurred because of the North. On the night of May 24, 1856, John Brown and volunteers murdered five men settled along the Pottawatomie Creek in southeastern Kansas. The victims were proslavery, but were not slave owners. In 1859, John Brown's Raid occurred. John Brown led 21 men, including 5 slaves to Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His plan was to take the weapons stored at the arsenal. His goal was to destroy slavery in the South. His plan failed as local militia gathered around the arsenal until the federal army arrived. John Brown was tried with treason and hung. This shows that the North had many battles against slavery that caused deaths and violence.

The Fugitive Slave Act solved the issue of runaway slaves. To seize an alleged slave, a slaveholder had to appear before a commissioner and swear the runaway was his. The commissioner earned $10 for every returned slave, and $5 for every slave he set free. The South wanted slavery to continue, which caused many outbreaks to occur in the South. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act declared that the people get to vote whether or not the states are free-states or slave states. Border Ruffians came into the territories and voted illegally. In the summer of 1856, proslavery forces attacked Lawrence, burning buildings, looting stores, destroying two newspaper offices, and beating residents. Another incident, in 1856 occurred between Charles Sumner and Preston Brooks. Sumner was strongly against slavery and gave a two day speech, The Crime against Kansas, he singled out Andrew Butler. Brooks was Butler's cousin, and with his temper, he attacked Sumner with a cane at his Senate desk. Brooks continued to beat Sumner until his cane broke.

Before the Civil War, the country was dividing between north and south. Issues included States Rights but centered mostly on slavery. With the election in 1860 of Abraham Lincoln, who ran on a message of anti-slavery, the Southern states felt it was only a matter of time before