The American Civil War was a conflict between the United States of America (Union) and the Confederate States of American (Confederacy;11 states total). To some people the civil war started at Fort Sumter, but Slavery and indivadual state soverignty were the resason why the South Seceeded.
The first of these events which led to secession and the civil war was the MIssouri Compromise (1820), which stated that Missourt could become a free or slave state since it was located about the 36 30 line (North of the Ohio River), sinve Main was also admitted as a free state. The Missourt Compromise would keep the politial power in the senate equal.
The Compromise of 1850 written by Henry Clay allowed California to become a free state and in exchange a more strict fugitve slave law would be created. The Fugitive Slave Law which stated that the North was responsible for returning escaped slaves from the South. .
Populare Sovereignty is when the people and not the federal government can decide whether a state could be a free or slave state.
Dred Scott was a slave that sued his white master for being a slave in a free state. The case went to the supreme court where the court declared that the MIssouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Aferican-Americans wern't citizens.
Finally the Election of 1860 was Lincoln vrs. Dougless where lincoln wan, but not by majority vote. The south was treatened by Lincolns presidency because the south beleived he was a threat to slavery. The South depended on slavery to support their economy, by producing cotton. They depended on industiralization in the North. The Civil War did brake out at Fort Sumter but hte main reasons to why the war started was because of the dabate between the North and South over the Western territories.