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Missouri Compromise
11 slave states & 11 free states kept balance in Congress and in the country. Missouri wanted to be a slave state, which upset the free states, since it would upset the balance. The solution was to add Missouri as a slave state and to add Maine as a free state. It was also decided that all states above the 36, 30 line would be free states from then on, not including Missouri. -
Compromise of 1850
California wanted to be a free state, which upset the South. Compromise said that slave trade, but not slavery, would be banned in Washington. It also made the Fugitive Slave Law a lot stronger to make both sides happy. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act dictated that all citizens were required to catch runaway slaves. The North resisted this, and instead helped the slaves with the Underground Railroad. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The book Uncle Tom's Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. She was a woman who felt slavery was brutal and cruel, and she wrote a book depicting it in this manner. It sold over 300,000 copies, and impacted many Northern feelings about slavery. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Stephen A. Douglas wanted to open the west to settlement, but the South objected. Because of the Misssouri Compromise, all of the new territories would be free, since they were over the 36, 30 line. The compromise was to repeal the Missouri Compromise and let those living there vote on the matter. This was called popular sovereignty. -
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Conflict In Kansas
After it was decided to allow the people to vote on whether to be free states or slave states, thousands rushed to Kansas to vote. This was illegal, but the government allowed it. This put a proslavery government in charge of Kansas, and showed that the idea of popular sovereignty needed some adjusting. -
Violence In Congress
Congressman Sumner gave a speech that attacked other members of Congress, including Congressman Butler. Butler's cousin, Brooks, was outraged, and attacked Sumner with a cane, beating him severely. His injuries were so great that he was not able to return to the Senate for 2 years. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was an African-American man who had been enslaved and had served a doctor. He lived free for a long time, but was enslaved again after the doctor died. He sued for his freedom, saying that since he had lived on free soil, he was a free man. The Supreme Court ruled that he had no right to sue, and was still a slave. This meant that the Constitution said slavery was okay. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The main issue of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was slavery. Douglas and Lincoln had different views on the subject, which inspired conversation and arguement. Douglas ended up winning, but Lincoln gained attention and went on to become our 16th president. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown was a passionate abolitionist. He attacked the arsenal and armory of Harpers Ferry, Virginia in hopes of helping slaves revolt. He was captured, tried, and hanged for his crimes. -
Election of 1860
The main issue of the election of 1860 was slavery. The 4 candidates were Abraham Lincoln, John Breckinridge, Stephen A. Douglas, and John Bell. Abraham Lincoln won, possibly because the Democratic party was split in two. -
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The South Secedes
The first state to secede from the Union was South Carolina. Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, & Georgia soon followed. They formed their own country, called The Confederate States of America, and they elected Jefferson Davis as their president. -
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Firing on Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter was located in South Carolina, but was the property of the North. They were low on supplies, so Lincoln was preparing to ship some down. He promised the South that he was only shipping supplies, and had no intentions of attacking. The South didn't believe him, and attacked the fort. When Lincoln learned of this, he sent 75, 000 troops in to win back the fort. The North defeated the South and Fort Sumter remained the federal property of the North.
