What Events Led To The Breakup Of The Union In 1860
Tensions between the North and the South were growing for many years before the first shot was fired on Fort Sumter. When viewed in isolation, the passage of certain laws, the issue of certain Supreme Court decisions, and the divisive actions of key political figures during the 1850s might not have appeared significant. When viewed collectively, however, these events drove a wedge between the North and the South and laid the foundation for southern state succession. Listed in order, the three most important causes leading to the breakup of the Union in 1860 include: first the Dred Scott decision, second the Fugitive Slave Act, and lastly the Kansas Nebraska Act. These events doused gas on the simmering flames of resentment between Southerners
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Sanford decision was a landmark ruling that denied Black people citizenship and upheld slavery in United States territories. It declared the Missouri Compromise, a law passed in 1820 in an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, unconstitutional. The Missouri Compromise was created after the Louisiana Purchase, and it stated that any state north of Missouri would be admitted as a free state, and any state south of Missouri would be admitted as a slave state. The Missouri Compromise allowed for the United States to expand its territory and add states, while also maintaining the peace and a balance of power between the North and the South. In the decision, Chief Justice Robert Taney went beyond the initial question of whether Black people could be granted the rights and privileges of a citizen and stated that Black people should be considered property in regards to the Constitution. Furthermore, Taney declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional because he believed it could result in Congress taking away a citizen’s property without due process by allowing a Black person to remain free in the North. The Missouri Compromise had temporarily assuaged the concerns of both Southern and Northern states who feared that territorial expansion might result in a loss of
Sanford decision was a landmark ruling that denied Black people citizenship and upheld slavery in United States territories. It declared the Missouri Compromise, a law passed in 1820 in an effort to maintain the balance between free and slave states, unconstitutional. The Missouri Compromise was created after the Louisiana Purchase, and it stated that any state north of Missouri would be admitted as a free state, and any state south of Missouri would be admitted as a slave state. The Missouri Compromise allowed for the United States to expand its territory and add states, while also maintaining the peace and a balance of power between the North and the South. In the decision, Chief Justice Robert Taney went beyond the initial question of whether Black people could be granted the rights and privileges of a citizen and stated that Black people should be considered property in regards to the Constitution. Furthermore, Taney declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional because he believed it could result in Congress taking away a citizen’s property without due process by allowing a Black person to remain free in the North. The Missouri Compromise had temporarily assuaged the concerns of both Southern and Northern states who feared that territorial expansion might result in a loss of