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Prelude to Civil War

This book examines the key events in American history from the 1607 arrival of the British colonists through the 1775-81 Revolutionary War, the creation of a new nation at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, its amazing rise to global prominence by 1840, followed by internal insurrection and warfare in 1861. It argues that the seeds of Disunion are evident from the beginning, once the South bets its entire economic future on the ongoing expansion of a slave-based agricultural economy. This conflicts with the North’s commitment to a modern industrialized model along with its passage of racist “black codes” aimed at “cleansing” all negroes from its domain. Up until 1845 “political compromises” allow both regions to prosper, as America’s landmass crosses the Mississippi River. However, tensions accelerate after the 1846-47 Mexican War opens new western territories coveted by both sections. Southern demands to open new slave plantations are met by Northerners committed to preserving all new land for “free white men and free labor.” This outcome would end the South’s ability to auction off its inventory of “excess slaves,” the principal source of its total wealth. Efforts to find a compromise fail and Lincoln’s victory in the 1860 election (with 39% of the popular vote) results in a slavery ban in the west, secession by the South and the Civil War.

SECTION #1 America’s years as a British Colony end with The Revolutionary War
SECTION #2 A new Constitution is adopted and government operations start up
SECTION #3 Foreign threats to national security end with The War Of 1812
SECTION #4 Early sectional conflicts over expanding slavery lead to the Missouri Compromise Of 1820
SECTION #5 A new Whig Party favors industrialization over the Democrat’s agrarian economy
SECTION #6 The Second Religious Awakening sparks early moral concerns about slavery
SECTION #7 A populist western president stands against Nullification and for tribal relocation
SECTION #8 Efforts to end federal debt, close the U.S. Bank and restore hard currency lead to recession
SECTION #9 Growing opposition to slavery triggers domestic violence and a schism in America’s churches
SECTION #10 A Manifest Destiny craze results in the Texas Annexation and a victorious war with Mexico
SECTION #11 The Seneca Falls Conference organizes the fight for gender equality
SECTION #12 Southerners are alarmed by an apparent Northern wish to ban all blacks from the new West
SECTION #13 The 1850 Compromise has Democrats backing “popular sovereignty” voting instead of a ban
SECTION #14 Anti-Slavery sentiment grows due to the Fugitive Slave Act and Uncle Tom’s Cabin
SECTION #15 Northerners rebel after the 1854 Kansas- Nebraska Bill reneges on the Compromise of 1820
SECTION #16 Open warfare in “Bloody Kansas” follows fraudulent election wins for Pro-Slave State forces
SECTION #17 The Republican Party emerges from an unlikely fusion of Free Soil and Know Nothing factions
SECTION #18 After harsh political debates the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision fails to resolve slavery
SECTION #19 Regional violence ends in Kansas as a “Free State” Constitution banning all black residents passes
SECTION #20 Futile attempts to save the Union follow John Brown’s Raid at Harpers Ferry
SECTION #21 A North-South Split in the Democrat Party leads to a Republican Party victory in 1860
SECTION #22 The Southern States secede and the attack on Ft. Sumter signals the start of the Civil War

Book Sections

Prayer Card Section #6

The Second Religious Awakening sparks early moral concerns about slavery

  1. 53 – A Second Great Religious Awakening Sweeps Across America
  2. 54 – The Awakening Prompts New Religious Movements
Group Outside of Church Cropped Section #9

Growing opposition to slavery triggers domestic violence and a schism in America’s churches

  1. 82 – The South Intensifies Its Defense Of Slavery
  2. 83 – Abolitionist Editor Elijah Lovejoy Is Murdered By An Alton, Illinois Mob
  3. 84 – Lovejoy’s Murder Begets A Fatal Vow From John Brown
  4. 85 – The Mob Behavior In Alton Also Draws A Public Response From Abraham Lincoln
  5. 86 – Calhoun Again Tries To Rally The South Against The Regional Threats He Sees
  6. 87 – Politicians Once Again Turn To Violence To Resolve Their Differences
  7. 88 – Southern Fears Mount Further As The Supreme Court Frees Slaves In The Amistad Affair
  8. 89 – The Growing Sectional Divide As The Election Of 1840 Looms
  9. Main St. in Small Town AmericaInterlude 4: Interlude: The American Landscape In 1840
  10. 90 – The South’s First Cash Crops: Tobacco, Rice, Cotton And Sugar
  11. 91 – The Breadth Of Slave Ownership In The South
  12. 92 – Chapter 92:The South’s Second Cash Crop: Breeding And Selling Slaves
  13. 93 – Selling Slaves
  14. 94 – Free Blacks Are Making Progress
  15. 95 – The Political Scene In 1840
  16. 96 – Abolitionists Enter Politics After An Internal Schism
  17. 97 – William Henry Harrison’s One Month Presidential Term
  18. 98 – John Tyler Completes The Presidential Term
  19. 99 – Tyler Turns Against The Whigs And They Turn Against Him
  20. 100 – Frederick Douglass Makes His First Great Speech Against Slavery
  21. 101 – Another Race Riot Breaks Out In Cincinnati
  22. 102 – Prigg v Pennsylvania Adds To Mounting Tension Over “Fugitive Slaves”
  23. 103 – The Prigg Decision Prompts Lloyd Garrison To Call For Disunion
  24. 104 – The Creole Slave Rebellion Leads To Diplomatic And Congressional Conflicts
  25. 105 – The Webster-Ashburton Treaty Resolves A Series Of Disputes With Britain
  26. 106 – America’s Drive To Explore The West Picks Up Momentum
  27. 107 – John Fremont’s First Expedition Reaches The “South Pass”
  28. 108 – Fremont’s Second Expedition Explores The West Coast
  29. 109 – The Wilkes Expedition Adds Luster To America’s Global Reputation
  30. 110 – Two Powerful Black Abolitionists Make Their Voices Heard
  31. 111 – Public Attitudes Toward Slavery Begin To Shift In The North
  32. 112 – The Slavery Issue Causes A Schism Within The Protestant Churches
  33. 113 – James Thornwell & Other Clergymen Offer A Biblical Defense Of Slavery
Elizabeth Cady Stanton 1 Cropped Section #11

The Seneca Falls Conference organizes the fight for gender equality

  1. 137 – Women Reformers Begin To Battle For Gender Equality
  2. 138 – The Seneca Falls Convention Coalesces The Women’s Rights Movement
Harriet Beecher Stowe Cropped Section #14

Anti-Slavery sentiment grows due to the Fugitive Slave Act and Uncle Tom’s Cabin

  1. 158 – Fillmore Offers A “Delayed Inaugural Address” To Congress
  2. 159 – Two More Southern Conventions Search For A Political Strategy On Slavery
  3. 160 – Northerners Rebel Against The 1850 Fugitive Slave Act
  4. 161 – The History Of Run-Away Slaves And Measures To Stop Them
  5. 162 – An “Underground Railroad” Assists The Runaways
  6. 163 – Abolitionist John Brown Advances His Plan To Lead A Slave Rebellion In The South
  7. 164 – Boston Remains The Hotbed Of Resistance To The Fugitive Slave Act
  8. 165 – Uncle Tom’s Cabin Arouses More Sympathy For Slaves And Runaways
  9. 166 – Whigs Suffer Losses In Mid-Term Elections
  10. 167 – Fillmore Embarrassed By Failed Treason Trial In Christiana Runaway Case
  11. 168 – Free Black Leaders Make Their Voices Heard
  12. 169 – Southern Intellectuals Ramp Up Their Defense Of Slavery
  13. 170 – Deeply Flawed “Scientific Studies” Used To Support Black Inferiority
  14. 171 – Presidential Candidates Chosen Amidst Deep Party Divisions
  15. 172 – Franklin Pierce’s Term
  16. 173 – Lemon v New York Asserts A “Once Free Forever Free” Standard
  17. 174 – Douglas’ Plan To Organize The Nebraska Territory Fails Again In The Senate
  18. 175 – The March Is On To Build A Trans-Continental Railroad
  19. 176 – Surveys For Transcontinental Railroad Routes Completed In 1853-54
  20. 177 – The “Gadsden Purchase” Supports A Southern Route For The Pacific Railroad
  21. 178 – Filibusterer William Walker Attempts To Create A Republic Of Lower California
Unknown Laborer 3 Cropped Section #15

Northerners rebel after the 1854 Kansas- Nebraska Bill reneges on the Compromise of 1820

  1. 179 – Congress Passes The Controversial Kansas-Nebraska Act
  2. 180 – A Nascent “Republic Party” Is Formed To Oppose The Kansas-Nebraska Act
  3. 181 – Abraham Lincoln Re-emerges On The Political Stage
  4. 182 – Northerners Again Resist The Fugitive Slave Act
Wilson Chinn 2 Cropped Section #19

Regional violence ends in Kansas as a “Free State” Constitution banning all black residents passes

  1. 213 – Governor Geary Resigns And Robert Walker Is Sent To Kansas
  2. 214 – William Walker’s Filibuster Of Nicaragua Collapses
  3. 215 – Buchanan Moves To “Clean Up Utah”
  4. 216 – The “Panic Of 1857” Rocks The Economy
  5. 217 – John Brown Recruits His First Ten Troops For His Virginia Raid
  6. 218 – The “Mountain Meadow Massacre” Further Inflames Anti-Mormon Sentiment
  7. 219 – The Free State Party Wins Official Control Over The Kansas Legislature
  8. 220 – The Pro-Slavery Lecompton Constitution Is Written And Governor Walker Is Sacked
  9. 221 – Douglas Thwarts Buchanan’s Attempt To Push Lecompton Through Congress
  10. 222 – Kansas Voters Reject The Pro-Slavery Lecompton Constitution But Buchanan Still Tried To Save It
  11. 223 – James Henry Hammond Tells The North That “Cotton Is King”
  12. 224 – The South’s Economic Future Hinges On The Expansion Of Slavery
  13. 225 – A Southerner Attacks Slavery On Behalf Of “Plain White Folks”
  14. 226 – The Public Views Buchanan’s Pardon Of “The Treasonous” Mormons One More Feeble Capitulation
  15. 227 – The “English Bill” Tries To Save The Lecompton Constitution
  16. 228 – The Marais des Cygnes Massacre Again Enflames Kansas
  17. 229 – John Brown’s Plan To Attack Harper Ferry Hits A Roadblock
  18. 230 – Lincoln Begins A Senate Campaign With His “House Divided” Speech
  19. 231 – A Slave State Designation For Kansas Ends When Voters Reject The “English Bill”
  20. 232 – The Lincoln – Douglas Debates Frame The National Divide Over Slavery 
  21. 233 – Douglas Is Re-elected While Lincoln Becomes Famous
  22. 234 – Henry Seward’s “Irrepressible Conflict” Speech
  23. 235 – Republicans Win The Mid-Term House Elections
  24. 236 – John Brown “Emancipates” More Slaves In Missouri
  25. 237 – Oregon Enters The Union As A “Whites Only” State
  26. 238 – Wisconsin Tries To Defy The U.S. Supreme Court On A Run-away Slave Case
  27. 239 – John Brown Gets Ready For His Attack In Virginia
  28. 240 – The Free State Wyandotte Constitution Is Approved In Kansas
Two Flags USA and CSA Section #22

The Southern States secede and the attack on Ft. Sumter signals the start of the Civil War

  1. 256 – The North Misreads The Southern Threat Of Secession
  2. 257 – Momentum Behind Disunion Builds In The South
  3. 258 – Major Robert Anderson Assumes Command Over Charleston Harbor
  4. 259 – Buchanan Blames “The People Of The North” For Putting The Union At Risk In His Final Congressional Address
  5. 260 – Howell Cobb Resigns From The Cabinet And Urges Georgia To Secede
  6. 261 – South Carolina Delivers An Ultimatum
  7. 262 – A Panicked Congress Forms Select Committees To Avoid Disunion
  8. 263 – South Carolina Secedes From The Union
  9. 264 – After The Fact, Congressional Committees Hear Compromise Proposals
  10. 265 – The South Begins To Gear Up For War
  11. 266 – Major Robert Anderson’s Heroic Move To Sumter Shocks All Sides
  12. 267 – The Select Congressional Committees Fail To Find A Compromise
  13. 268 – The Supply Ship Star Of The West Is Fired Upon At Charleston Harbor
  14. 269 – Three More Southern States Secede Amid Calls For Calm
  15. 270 – Florida Threatens To Seize Ft. Pickens
  16. 271 – Senate Resignations Provoke More Last Ditch Efforts To Preserve Peace
  17. 272 – A Northern Controlled Congress Admits Kansas As A Free State
  18. 273 – Pressures On Buchanan Continue To Mount
  19. 274 – Ex-President John Tyler’s National Peace Conference Meets In Washington
  20. 275 – Chapter 275 : The Confederate States Of America Are Organized In Montgomery
  21. 276 – CSA President Jefferson Davis Stalls For Time On Ft. Sumter
  22. 277 – Lincoln Delivers Confusing Messages On Route To Washington
  23. 278 – Tyler’s Peace Conference Is Another Predictable Failure
  24. 279 – Two Last Second Bills Gain Congressional Approval
  25. 280 – Lincoln Is Sworn In And Delivers His Inaugural Address
  26. 281 – The South Regards The Speech As A Declaration Of War
  27. 282 – Lincoln Names His Cabinet And It Debates Sumter Strategy
  28. 283 – Lincoln Sends Messengers To Charleston To Assess The Situation
  29. 284 – Lincoln Decides To Reinforce Both Ft. Sumter And Ft. Pickens
  30. 285 – Organizational Confusion Mars Planning For The Expeditions
  31. 286 – Seward Adds Confusion And Lincoln Puts Him In His Place
  32. 287 – Lincoln Sends Messengers To Charleston While Monitoring The Virginia Convention
  33. 288 – Confusion Reigns As The Federal Expeditions To The Forts Head Out
  34. 289 – Davis Decides To Take Sumter By Force
  35. 290 – Threats To Both Washington And Sumter Become Imminent
  36. 291 – The Battle For Ft. Sumter Is Under Way
  37. 292 – Ft. Sumter Ends And “Then The War Came”
  38. 293 – Aftermath 1861

Bibliography

While the analytics and narrative throughout the website are the author’s, credit for the factual foundations belongs with academic scholars and everyday history buffs, whose books and articles have enabled this exploration of the antebellum period. In a perfect world, the text throughout the website would include detailed cites and footnotes, recognizing the sources and origins behind all the writing, together with a detailed topical index. However, realities of time and space have prohibited these worthy outcomes. As it is, the website has been well over a decade in the making, and is already of a length that even the most curious may find challenging. Still, some basic recognition of source materials is required, and it falls into two major buckets. The first being books in the author’s personal library, collected over some five decades and accessed for both pleasure and research. The second being reliance on the truly amazing access to source documents now available from home via the internet. While a fairly complete bibliography is shown below, several books and scholars deserve special mention for having shaped whatever insights have materialized.

About the author

headshot/portrait of Robert E. Drane Robert E Drane

After earning an MA Degree in Literature from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, Bob Drane embarked on a 35 year corporate career between Quaker Oats and Oscar Mayer. He became a recognized leader in new product development, leading the team that invented the Lunchables © brand and teaching Innovation for over a decade in the UW Graduate School of Business. After retiring his interest turned to studying and writing about early American history and also collecting original 19th century photographs. The result is this website which he hopes will enlighten visitors about the nation’s origins in an accurate and easy to follow fashion.

Our Books

Blog post image for Restored to Light: The Civil War and Other Military Conflicts

Restored to Light: The Civil War and Other Military Conflicts

Here you will find a very brief overview of America’s military conflicts along with over a thousand original 19th century photographs of the soldiers who fought and of some of the battle scenes. Coverage will include the Revolutionary War, The War of 1812, various Tribal Wars, the Mexican War, the aftermath in “Bloody Kansas,” and the Civil War itself. For those interested, several other conflicts are touched on in various degrees of detail: the Waterloo Battle, Custer’s defeat at the Little Big Horn and snippets related to the Crimean War, and both the First and Second World Wars.

Blog post image for Restored to Light: American Life in the 1800’s

Restored to Light: American Life in the 1800’s

This book will introduce our diverse population, from the common men and women of all races and classes, to the more prominent figures who shaped our beliefs and values and growth as a nation. You’ll learn about our homes, schools, churches and ever changing modes of transportation. How our small towns become large cities with vibrant market-places. How capitalism and industrialization provide an economic boom and open many new ways to earn a living beyond agriculture. Also about our evolving political parties and their leaders, and trace their efforts to deal with various foreign and domestic conflicts while competing for power.
Since America’s history is marked by tragic flaws as well as towering strengths, you’ll explore the brutal experiences of the enslaved African-Americans, the root causes of racism and gender inequality, and our ruinous propensity for violence. Finally, we’ll end with a fun look at the history of our entertainment industry.

Prelude to Civil War

This book examines the key events in American history from the 1607 arrival of the British colonists through the 1775-81 Revolutionary War, the creation of a new nation at the 1787 Constitutional Convention, its amazing rise to global prominence by 1840, followed by internal insurrection and warfare in 1861. It argues that the seeds of Disunion are evident from the beginning, once the South bets its entire economic future on the ongoing expansion of a slave-based agricultural economy. This conflicts with the North’s commitment to a modern industrialized model along with its passage of racist “black codes” aimed at “cleansing” all negroes from its domain. Up until 1845 “political compromises” allow both regions to prosper, as America’s landmass crosses the Mississippi River. However, tensions accelerate after the 1846-47 Mexican War opens new western territories coveted by both sections. Southern demands to open new slave plantations are met by Northerners committed to preserving all new land for “free white men and free labor.” This outcome would end the South’s ability to auction off its inventory of “excess slaves,” the principal source of its total wealth. Efforts to find a compromise fail and Lincoln’s victory in the 1860 election (with 39% of the popular vote) results in a slavery ban in the west, secession by the South and the Civil War.

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