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Causes of War: Dred Scott

Related Article: Learn more about the Underground Railroad.

Two Southern cousins discussing the Dred Scott Decision conclude that wherever a slave goes, he or she remains a slave.

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Causes of War: Tariffs on Manufacturing (0:55)

Southern states felt that, while a high tariff on European products helped Northern manufacturing, it was no benefit to the South.

Causes of War: The Three-Fifths Compromise (0:49)

For purposes of assigning the number each state should have in Congress, lawmakers decided that each slave should count as three-fifths of a person.

Causes of War: Northern Cities (0:59)

The North had large cities, commercial trade, and many factories and banks. Immigrants provided cheap labor to factories. Factory owners wanted workers who were free, not slaves.

Causes of War: Southern Plantations and Farms (1:08)

The South had fewer cities and factories and an economy that centered on farms, including plantations that grew cotton or tobacco. They employed slave labor.

Causes of War: The Preston Plantation (1:12)

Two cousins living in the South argue over the rights of the new territories to use either Slave or free labor.

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Causes of War: The Kansas-Nebraska Act (0:44)

In 1854, the Missouri Compromise was repealed, and Kansas and Nebraska were allowed to decide for themselves on the slavery issue.

US Civil War: Shenandoah Valley (0:47)

General Sheridan destroyed crops in the Shenandoah Valley in order to cut off one of the last food sources for the South.

US Civil War: The New York Riots (0:51)

Some impoverished Northerners didn’t care about ending slavery and were angry at being drafted to fight against it. They were also angry that rich men could buy their way out of the draft.

US Civil War: The Gettysburg Address (0:37)

In November 1863, Lincoln attended a ceremony at Gettysburg and delivered his famous speech.

US Civil War: Chancellorsville (0:59)

General Hooker resumed the march to Richmond and faced Lee at Chancellorsville, where Stonewall Jackson was killed.

US Civil War: The Southern Home Front (1:26)

Life in the South during the Civil War meant shortages, substitutions, and sacrifice.

US Civil War: The Northern Home Front (0:50)

With many men off to war, women farmed and worked in factories, offices, and stores.

Causes of War: The CSA (1:49)

In February, 1861, seven states declared their independence and formed the Confederates States of America. Jefferson Davis was elected president.

Causes of War: Abolitionists (1:06)

In 1859, John Brown attempted to lead a slave revolt in Harper’s Ferry. The revolt failed, and Brown was later hanged. He was viewed as both a traitor and a martyr.

Causes of War: Dred Scott (1:19)

Two Southern cousins discussing the Dred Scott Decision conclude that wherever a slave goes, he or she remains a slave.