5 Major Events Leading Up To The Civil War:

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1. Compromise of 1850 & Fugitive Slave Act 1850

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This act forced any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave liable to pay a fine. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 and caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery. This act increased the Underground Railroad activity as fleeing slaves made their way to Canada.

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2.) Bleeding Kansas shocked Northerners 1856

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-In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed allowing the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves using popular sovereignty whether they wanted to be free or slave.
-By 1856, Kansas had become a hotbed of violence as pro- and anti-slavery forces fought over the state's future to the point where it was nicknamed 'Bleeding Kansas'.
-This was a preview of the violence that would come

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3.) Dred Scott Decision 1857

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In 1857, Dred Scott lost his case proving that he should be free because he had been held as a slave while living in a free state. The Court ruled that his petition could not be seen because he did not hold any property and that slaves are not citizens, they are property.
- the court found that slaves were not considered to be full citizens of the United States and therefore the constitution didn't apply.
-This decision furthered the cause of abolitionists as they fervently increased their efforts to fight against slavery.

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4. John Brown Raided Harper's Ferry 1859

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-attempt by white abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave revolt in 1859
-he led a group of seventeen including five black members to raid the arsenal located in Harper's Ferry, Virginia hoping slaves would join in but were defeated by US marines. John Brown was hung.
-This is another event in the growing abolitionist movement leading to open warfare in 1961

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5. Election of Lincoln 1860

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Lincoln was elected (1860), 0 votes in 9 states but 40% of pop. vote including majorities in the more populous states and was elected by the electoral college;
The demographics of Lincolns elections demonstrated to everyone that the government was no longer a slave power.
Many Southern states felt that he should not have won by any means and 7 states seceded by Lincoln's inauguration and formed the Confederate States of America setting the stage for the fighting to begin. Fort Sumter was the first battle of the Civil War.

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The point the war seems inevitable to me

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Bleeding Kansas 1957