Notes

S lavery and Sectionalism. Sectionalism means that people are more loyal to their state or region than to their country as a whole. Southerners tended to unite in their support for slavery and accused the North of threatening their way of life, while the northerners believed it to be morally wrong and demanded that it be outlawed.
Arguments. The U.S. was rapidly expanding west. So, when it came time to figure out whether or not slavery should be allowed in these new territories, very heated arguments began. Not only were people arguing in letters, newspapers, and books, but debate after debate raged through Congress, even resulting in the violent beating of a Senator. More arguments came about when the Supreme Court ruled in 1857 that African Americans were not citizens, therefore could not sue for freedom, as Dred Scott had done. It also said that the Missouri Compromise (see below) was unconstitutional. Stunned Northerners vowed to fight the decision.
Compromises. In order to stop the arguing of north vs. south, many compromises were passed. The Missouri Compromise in 1820 said that slavery was banned forever north of the latitude 36º30’, but that slavery was permitted south of it. This compromise didn’t work very well. In 1850, another compromise was passed which said a lot of things but most importantly that the new territories could practice popular sovereignty and the strict Fugitive Slave law.
Kansas- Nebraska Act. Senator Stephan A. Douglas wanted to encourage settlement of the Kansas and Nebraska territory as well as build a transcontinental railroad through those two areas. He proposed dividing the region into two territories and the settlers themselves would be able to decide the issue of slavery by popular sovereignty. Northerners were angry because it basically canceled the Missouri Compromise.
Election. With Southern and Northern Democrats each picking their own candidate, the nation splintered into all kinds of political parties. Abraham Lincoln won the presidency rather easily in the election of 1860, but that upset many southerners who started calling for something they had been threatening for awhile, “SECESSION!”

Decision to Secede. A little while after Lincoln was elected, South Carolinians began the steps of secession. The Senators of South Carolina resigned and the state called a convention to decide what to do. A number of compromises were proposed in Congress, including letting slavery still exist, but Lincoln did his best to squash these proposals. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina decided to secede from the Union saying that the Northern States had violated their state rights, which was unconstitutional. By 1861, 6 other states followed South Carolina and they formed a new nation, The Confederate States of America.