When circumstances come together that each contributes to a disaster, it is sometimes called the “perfect storm.” Some use this expression to refer to hurricanes, snowstorms, or even a terrible life situation. It can also be used to describe how many of the events of the 1850s created the “perfect storm” that led to the collapse of the union. Specifically, the Compromise of 1850, publishing of Uncle Tom’s cabin, Kansas-Nebraska Act, the Dred Scott decision, and John Brown’s raid during the 1850’s aggravated and created hostility over power and slavery issues and culminated in the union falling apart. The Compromise of 1850 was one event that contributed to the collapse of the union, and it should be loosely considered as a compromise. The
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This decision also provided “fuel” for the Lincoln-Douglass debates that put Lincoln on the national platform as a politician (Oswald, 2012). With the Democrats and Republicans firing off insults at each other through the press and the Republicans fearing that they had lost control in the politics, this decision causes the factions to move toward more extreme ideas and farther away from a unified nation.
Lastly, John Brown’s raid in 1859 widened the gap between the North and South. Even though Brown’s raid was a failure, it worsened the hostility in the nation. Brown hoped that his attack would lead to an uprising against slavery, but when word spread that Northerners supported Brown financially and morally, and the Southerners were again hostile and feared that the North might be organizing a major attack on slavery (John Brown, 2017). According to an article on Historynet.com, this event is often referred to as “the match that lit the fuse on the powder keg of secession and civil war” (John Brown,
This decision also provided “fuel” for the Lincoln-Douglass debates that put Lincoln on the national platform as a politician (Oswald, 2012). With the Democrats and Republicans firing off insults at each other through the press and the Republicans fearing that they had lost control in the politics, this decision causes the factions to move toward more extreme ideas and farther away from a unified nation.
Lastly, John Brown’s raid in 1859 widened the gap between the North and South. Even though Brown’s raid was a failure, it worsened the hostility in the nation. Brown hoped that his attack would lead to an uprising against slavery, but when word spread that Northerners supported Brown financially and morally, and the Southerners were again hostile and feared that the North might be organizing a major attack on slavery (John Brown, 2017). According to an article on Historynet.com, this event is often referred to as “the match that lit the fuse on the powder keg of secession and civil war” (John Brown,