In this lesson, we will talk about how slavery led to the Civil War. By the end of this course, you’ll know how slavery’s position and growth added to tensions between the North and South.

First, look at the political arguments about slavery and how far it should be allowed to go.

In the early 1800s, Congress talked in an angry way about how slavery was spreading to new areas.

The Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850 helped ease tensions between free states and slave states for a short time.

As the US grew westward, it became very important to know if more states would allow slavery.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 gave people in certain areas the right to decide whether or not to have slaves. This made conflicts worse.

Since the Republican Party was against slavery, it made things worse between the North and the South.

Let’s talk about the moral and intellectual problems with slavery.

Abolitionists like Frederick Douglass and Harriet Beecher Stowe fought hard against slavery, which led to moral debates across the country.

The harsh truth about slavery in Stowe’s book “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” struck a chord with readers and made them more against slavery.

In these fights, the Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sandford made the gap between the two sides bigger.

The court said that Dred Scott couldn’t be set free and that Congress couldn’t stop slavery in the regions.

As things got worse, the country had to face a terrible fight.

That’s the end of our talk about how slavery was the main reason why the Civil War happened. The next lesson will talk about the political and military leaders of the war.

I’m glad to have you with me and can’t wait to learn more about the real history of the Civil War.