Once upon a time... There was a country called the United States of America, and it was divided into two regions, North and South. There was one fundamental difference between these two places, a difference that made them rather resentful of each other. The difference was slavery. In the North, slavery was viewed as evil, while in the South, they saw no problem with owning other people.

The argument that came up most often between North and South was the spread of slavery. South wanted more slave states so it could make more money, while North wanted to contain slavery and prevent it from going any further.

 At one point, the expansion of slavery seemed like it was finished. And then came Texas. Texas was a part of the Mexican Empire. Most of the people who lived there had come from South, and supported slavery. However, when they separated from Mexico and became their own country, they wanted desperately to be a part of the United States so they could be protected from Mexico. South was all for it, they wanted another slave state! However, North would not allow it, for it would help the spread of slavery, and would give the South more power. It would also lead to a war with Mexico, which would result in much fighting. In the end, Texas was not allowed to join the United States for nine long years.

When Texas was finally brought in to the US as a slave state, this greatly angered Mexico. They declared war on the United States, and thus began the Mexican-American War.

Mexico lost the war, and was forced to give up its northern territories in the Mexican Cession. South saw this as an opportunity for further expansion. However, North would try even harder to prevent this from happening.

 Then, a large region in the new territories called California started becoming very popular. People had found gold there, and thousands of gold-seekers trekked across the country to settle in this rich land. Before long, California had enough people to become a state, a free state. North immediately supported Californian statehood. South, on the other hand opposed the addition of another free state. This would give more power to North, and would compromise the spread of slavery.

However, North won out, and California became a state.

Shortly after, Oregon became a free state as well, furthering the tensions between North and South. Then, it was time for the Presidential Election. Most of South supported a man named Breckenridge, who they hoped would help them expand. North, however, supported a man named Lincoln. Lincoln was a Republican who did not support slavery. But he was a good man whose only goal was to preserve the United States. When all the ballots came in, it was Lincoln who pulled out victorious. North and its Western friends rejoiced, while South was enraged.

All it took was a small spark. A trigger that would set off a massive war between North and South. That trigger was a small state called South Carolina, which pulled away from the United States and declared itself to be independent. Soon, other states would follow, and they would form a new country... the Confederate States of America.







Created by Tanner Hammond and Samantha Daily