The Underground Railroad, Bleeding Kansas and the Election of Honest Abe

There were many events or movements that led up to the tipping point that was the Civil War in the United States. A few of the major topics are the underground railroad, bleeding Kansas and the election of 1860. Both of these things had major repercussions after they took place. These events have direct ties to the secession of the southern states and the start of the Civil War.

The Underground railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses that ensured a safe pathway for escaped slaves to travel to the north. Once the escaped slaves got to the north they were then "safe" because technically they were now free in these states because slavery was outlawed. However, this is what caused the popularization of bounty hunting. Slave owners would put out a reward for whoever could find their escaped slaves and return them. This led to bounty hunters going into the north and kidnapping any one who was black, whether they were escaped slaves or not. This pitted the North and South against each other. 

Bleeding Kansas took place throughout 1854-1861. This was a series of violent confrontations revolving around the discussion of the legality of slavery. Kansas and Missouri were border states which meant that they were in the front lines of confrontation between the north and south. This led to people coming in from surrounding states, north and south to vote on state government issues to attempt to sway the state either pro or anti slavery.

Finally, the election of 1860 was the final tipping point that led to the secession of the southern states and start of the civil war. The election of 1860 was the election that saw Abraham Lincoln chosen as the president of the United States. Lincoln was very vocal during his campaign about his anti slavery views, as he was from the north. This angered Americans living in the southern states as they saw it as a threat to their livelihood. Lincoln was eventually elected and this resulted in South Carolina seceding from the United States in 1861 and ten other southern states later following their lead.