Timeline: Defining Events That Caused Sectional Tensions

Timeline: Events That Defined Sectional Tensions in the Early United States.

1. The United States Constitution

The Constitution was created on September 17th, 1787. It was a document created to serve the purpose of establishing the liberties and rights that everyone person inherited at birth as a citizen. Basically, an in-depth follow-up of the Declaration of Independence. Was written mainly by Thomas Jefferson. This caused sectional tensions because it gave no defining rules and boundaries for slavery and other issues because people were too offended and personally attacked Jefferson if he tried to include laws about those topics in it.

2. The Second Great Awakening

The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival occurring in the early 19th century in the United States from 1790 to around 1820. This event caused Sectional tensions because it attracted unusual crowds such as blacks, women, and native americans to the Christian faith. It lead to the push for prison reform, temperance movement, and was a huge part of convincing people to believe in the abolishment of slavery, which is the biggest reason it caused such tensions.

3. The Haitian Revolt

The Haitian Revolt was the largest and most prevalent anti-slavery and anti-colonial revolt that occurred in the Western Hemisphere from August 21, 1791 to January 1, 1804. The Haitians not only abolished slavery in their country, but ended the entirety of the French rule that was placed over them. This caused sectional tensions because it was, yet again, another anti-slavery movement, and a successful one, at that, and it went against two very current and popular things in the United States: slavery and colonization. This sparked the idea of "what happened then, can happen now," and caused more tensions that would eventually lead to war.

4. Ely Whitney's Cotton Gin

The cotton gin was an invention created by the infamous Eli Whitney in 1793. The invention made it easier for cotton to be separated from its seed. One would think this would reduce tensions, but with the supply more efficient, the demand became larger, causing anger in slaves and tension within the homes and separate slave/ anti-slave states.

5. The Cotton Revolution

The cotton revolution was from 1800 to 1860. It was a time where cotton and its uses became known to everyone, and the economy boomed from the competition and stream of capitalism it brought in. Planters and Farmers bought more slaves, expanded their lands, and went into extreme amounts of debt because of the greed this new crop brought into their lives. This sparked even more tension than what was already present because it gave the states that didn't use slaves another reason to be angry with those who did because the expansion of farms and big amounts of cotton produced even more abuse and inhumane treatment of slaves.

6. End of International Slave Trade

The end of international slave trade began on March 2, 1807 when the Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was put into effect. This caused tensions because it did not end the practice of slavery, just the end of selling and trading of slaves. This yet again angered many people and made the push for war stronger on all sides.

7. Missouri Crisis

The Missouri Crisis occurred in 1819. It was when Missouri petitioned the government to be allowed to be a part of the union as an open slave state. This caused sectional tensions because different states also began to wonder if they could continue to allow slavery, and it made other states closely critique the moral correctness of slavery. It divided the nation even more by allowing one state to do one thing, but then restricting others.

8. Vesey Revolt

The Vesey Revolt was a slave uprising that took place in June of 1822. This caused great tension because it was leading people to yet again question their moral principles and create a greater debate and divide between the states and their beliefs.

10. Mexican American War

The Mexican-American War was a war between Mexico and the United States from April 26th of 1846 to February 2nd of 1848. This war caused tensions because it gave people more reasons to be angry at their country and caused separation because of the belief and unbelief in Manifest Destiny.

9. Nat Turner's Rebellion

Nat Turner's Rebellion was another slave uprising that took place in August of 1831 in Southampton County, Virginia. This caused tensions because it killed people and sparked more violence in the United States along with more of a divide between people based on what was right and wrong in their eyes.

11. Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was put into action on September 18, 1850. This act said that fugitive slaves were to be tracked down and could have weapons used to bring them back to where they came from. This caused tension because it yet again proved to people the injustice of what was going on and pushed them into a deeper divide.

14. Dred Scott Case

The Dred Scott case was a court case that was completed and ruled on March 6, 1857. This caused tension because it made people realize that the treatment of African-Americans was not fair, and it proved to other states that the government was going to do as they pleased in situations, even if it was wrong, and set people off more than they already were with each other.

12. Uncle Tom's Cabin

Uncle Tom's Cabin, an anti-slavery novel, was published on May 30, 1854. This novel pushed sectional tensions higher because it made African-Americans realize there were people on their side, and it changed their perspectives drastically on their positions as slaves. It caused light to be shone on a dark situation and gave more thought to it. It is said to help "lay the groundwork for the Civil War."

13. Kansas-Nebraska Act

The Kansas-Nebraska Act was an act that was passed by congress on May 30, 1854. This caused tensions to be raised because it confused and enraged others as to why or why not they were allowed to decide whether they wanted slavery to be put into practice in their state, which gave the people more reason to make war become an option.

15. Harper's Ferry Raid

Harper's Ferry Raid took place on October 16th-18th of 1859. This caused sectional tensions because it was another event that showed the despair and blatant unhappiness of those in slavery and pushed others to fight for them since they could not fight for themselves. They would fight whoever was in their way, even if it meant war on the home front.

16. The Election of Abraham Lincoln

The election of Abraham Lincoln took place on November 6, 1860.His election caused sectional tension because he was very outspoken in his beliefs and was determined to put them into practice, and only half of the nation agreed with him. This left the other half furious, which can lead people to act in ways they shouldn't.

17. Attack on Fort Sumter

The attack on Fort Sumter was an attack on a fort close to Charleston, North Carolina by the confederate states army from the 12th to the 13th of April in 1861. It could be argued that this event caused the most sectional tension out of them all. This event was the final push that set people off and truly made them declare war, and if it had not happened, we may have never had a civil war or the country we have today.