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Dred Scott Decision

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The Civil War officially began in 1861, but had been in the thoughts of everybody before it had even started. The northern half and southern half of the United States were having some major disagreements on certain things since about 1850 starting with the Compromise of 1850. However, what really pushed the Civil War to begin was the disagreement on slavery between the north and the south. The north did not support slavery, but for people in the south, it was their way of life. Slavery was ultimately the cause of the civil war because the Dred Scott Decision, the Underground Railroad, and southern secession mainly fueled the hatred between the north and the south. The Dred Scott Decision factored into the cause of the civil war because it created conflict between the northern and southern states. The ultimate decision was that people of African Descent could not be U.S citizens, and that congress could not forbid slavery in federal territories as it was a violation of property rights. While the south was happy with this decision, the north was not. The north disliked this decision because it took away more of the rights of African slaves and was heavily in favor of slavery. However, the south liked this decision because it meant there were stricter laws in place to …show more content…
The Southerners were getting increasingly upset that northerners were helping their slaves escape to freedom. They felt that it was unfair and against their rights. On the other hand, the northerners believed slavery was not a good thing and therefore they felt they had to help the slaves escape to freedom as they were people as much as they were people. These differing opinions were creating a divide between the north and the south, and the Underground Railroad was another big step towards the cause of the Civil

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