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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise occurred because of an argument on whether or not slavery would be allowed in Missouri. This started in 1819. Months later in 1820, it was finally decided, particularly because of Henry Clay, that Missouri would be a slave state, and that Maine would be a non-slave state. This compromise also addressed the future, saying that all Louisiana Purchase territory south of Missouri would pro-slave,
and vice versa, territory north of it would be anti-slave. (See later events). -
Mexican War
This war was fought between Mexico and the US. It was started because the US had annexed Texas, and there were differing views on where the boundary between Texas and Mexico was. The US had established the Rio Grande as the border, while Mexico claimed the border was the Nueces River. This war was widely supported by Americans, and many soldiers were volunteers. The war ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which stated the US gains the territories of Texas, California, and New Mexico. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was an event, that like many others of the time period, dealt with attempting to keep both the North and the South happy. It stated that California would be a free state, and that New Mexico and Utah could decide for themselves on whether or not to allow slavery. It also included the more controversial Fugitive Slave Act, which said that escaped slaves must be returned to their masters. This increased abolitionists' efforts to stop slavery. -
Publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, a New England abolitionist woman. The main theme it carried was that slavery is wrong and should not be legal, detailing that Tom (the black protagonist) was just as human as a white. This made it one of the most controversial, yet also one of the best-selling, books of the time period. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" turned millions of Americans against slavery. Indirectly, it was one of the causes of the American Civil War because of this. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act essentially voided the Missouri Compromise. It stated that the people of Kansas and Nebraska could decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery. This was something the Missouri Compromise prohibited, because Kansas and Nebraska were north its line (therefore, they would be anti-slave states under the terms of the Missouri Compromise). The South supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, while the North was furious about it. These reactions would later lead to violence. -
Attack on Lawrence, Kansas
After the Compromise of 1850, conflicts in the US grew considerably. Kansas became one of the main battlegrounds between pro-slavery and anti-slavery citizens, earning the nickname "Bleeding Kansas" due to this. Lawrence, Kansas, an anti-slavery town, was raided by pro-slavery settlers for the sole reason that the people of Lawrence were anti-slavery. Nobody was killed, but a lot of valuable property was either stolen or destroyed. This only increased tensions between the North and South. -
Attack on Charles Sumner
On May 19, 1856, Charles Sumner, a prominant abolitionist, gave a speech about why slavery should be illegal. This led to him, 3 days later, being attacked and beaten by a pro-slave member of the Hosue of Representatives, Preston Brooks. This led to Preston Brooks being expelled from the House of Representatives, and charged with assault, but he was hailed as a hero in the South. The attack on Charles Sumner shocked everyone, and he never fully recovered, and more civil violence would follow. -
Attack on Pottawatomie Creek
Another notable event of the "Bleeding Kansas" era was the Attack on Pottawatomie Creek by John Brown and his sons. This attack was basically a massacre, in which John Brown and his sons dragged out 5 pro-slavery citizens from their houses and killed them in front of their families. Terrifying the pro-slavery settlers of Pottawatomie Creek, this event was one that only added to the chaos and conflicts, rather than resolving anything. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
The Dred Scott vs. Sanford court case was one of the most significant of the era. Dred Scott was a slave who had appealed to the Supreme Court upon moving to the slave state of Missouri that he be granted freedom. The ruling led by Chief Justice Roger Taney, was that all blacks could not become US citizens. It also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, thus allowing slavery in all of the US territories. -
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was a document written by pro-slavery citizens. It dealt with Kansas being inducted as a state, and explained why slavery should be legal, and rejected the idea of free blacks. This made it another item that increased civil tension. President James Buchanan supported the Lecompton Constitution, but it was rejected by Kansas (which had popular sovereignty after the Missouri Compromise was voided). Kansas was inducted as an anti-slavery state on January 29, 1861.
