Civil War: Background Issues (1820- 1860) (Rev., 1963)

The film discusses the historical context leading to the American Civil War, focusing on the sectional tensions between free and slave states from 1818 to 1861. It highlights key events such as the Missouri Compromise, the Wilmot Proviso, and the Compromise of 1850, which aimed to maintain a balance between North and South regarding slavery. The film also covers the economic differences between the agrarian South, reliant on slave labor for cotton production, and the industrial North, which thrived on free labor. The Kansas-Nebraska Act further escalated tensions, leading to violence in "Bleeding Kansas" and the rise of the Republican Party. The Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision intensified the debate over slavery, ultimately leading to the election of Abraham Lincoln and the secession of Southern states, marking the onset of the Civil War. Keywords Civil War, slavery, free states, slave states, Missouri Compromise, Wilmot Proviso, Compromise of 1850, popular sovereignty, Kansas-Nebraska Act, Dred Scott, Abraham Lincoln, sectional tensions, Confederate States. Email us at footage@avgeeks.com if you have questions about the footage and are interested in using it in your project.