In 1856, Sumner delivered a speech called “The Crime Against Kansas.” Southern Citizens personally took offense to his speech, so, a South Carolina representative named Preston Brooks beat Sumner unconscious with a metal tipped cane until it split in half. The cruel act upon Sumner outraged Northerners, but Southerners cheered on and appreciated Brooks for his action by sending him new canes. Northerners viewed the act as another reason to dislike Southerners because of how brutal they are. The third cause of the Civil War was the Election of 1860. In 1860, Abraham Lincoln won 40 percent of the vote in the North. He took office on March 4, 1861. The south didn’t approve of Abraham Lincoln because of his plans to abolish slavery. Weeks after the election, Southern states thought of seceding from the Union. South Carolina was the first state to secede, along with six other Southern states. Those seven states joined together and formed the Confederate States of America. Abraham Lincoln tried to bring the Union together, but in the process, he only tore it apart. Abraham Lincoln tried to bring the Union together, but in the process, he only tore it apart. The Civil War was a tragic event in American History, and these three key events caused it to happen. It took four years of war to realize that slavery was wrong and should be illegal in the United