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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe to showcase the depressing life of a slave. Her novel heightened tensions between the North and the South, with Northerners finding the book eye-opening and Southerners finding the book inaccurate and offensive. The book was highly controversial, and it was banned in many Southern states. -
Republican Party Founding
The Republican Party was founded in Wisconsin after members of the Whig party could not agree on whether they were for or against slavery. Republicans emerged from the Whigs who protested slavery after the Missouri Compromise was dissolved. In fact, the Republican Party gained popularity so quickly that a Republican candidate (Abraham Lincoln) was elected President in 1860. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Created by Stephen Douglas, the Kansas-Nebraska Act created two new categories: Kansas and Nebraska. It replaced the Missouri Compromise and put popular sovereignty in its place. Douglas believed popular sovereignty was the most democratic way to solve the slavery issue. The act eventually resulted in Kansas entering the Union as a free state, despite pro-slavery efforts against this. -
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Bleeding Kansas
"Bleeding Kansas" is the nickname given to the period between 1855 and 1861 in which pro-slavery advocates violently attacked anti-slavery advocates, as well as buildings + businesses associated with them. It started when pro-slavery advocates engaged in election fraud to enter Kansas as a slave state, but that didn't work. Instead, they killed anti-slavery activists, burned down a hotel, and destroyed their printing presses. A popular example from Bleeding Kansas is the Brooks-Sumner incident. -
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was framed by pro-slavery advocates in Kansas. The constitution contained several clauses supporting slavery and a bill of rights that excluded black people. Although it was rejected in a later election, President James Buchanan supported entering Kansas as a slave state under the Lecompton Constitution. The constitution was later resubmitted, but still failed. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
While Senator Charles Sumner was writing, Representative Preston Brooks caught him by surprise and beat him with a cane. Brooks's violent attack was sparked after Sumner delivered a speech criticizing slavery defenders. Most Southerners supported the beating, with South Carolinian merchants even sending him a gold-headed cane engraved with "Hit Him Again." This attack was representative of the country's strong feelings on slavery. -
Election of 1856
After the events during Bleeding Kansas, voters were scared to elect Democrat Franklin, who they associated with that violence. Instead, voters elected Democrat James Buchanan because of his distance from the violent behaviors during Bleeding Kansas. Buchanan beat Republican candidate John. C. Fremont with 174-114 electoral votes. Buchanan was by far the most popular candidate in the south, as Fremont didn't receive any southern votes. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott decision was made in the Supreme Court case Dred vs. Sanford. After Dred Scott tried to sue his owner because they lived in a free state, the Supreme Court decided that he had no right to sue individuals because he was not a citizen. The court also decided that neither Congress nor the states/territories had the right to rule against slavery because slaves were "property," and the Constitution protected citizens' rights to their property. -
House Divided Speech
In his House Divided Speech, Lincoln explains that our country needs to reunite, otherwise the Union will fall apart. He states that " a house divided against itself cannot stand," meaning that the south and the north must agree to save the country. If the two groups cannot agree, there will be a civil war, and the country's fate will be at stake. Lincoln specifically meant that America couldn't be both pro and anti-slavery, but the implications of his speech were still evident. -
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Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of seven public debates between Republican Abraham Lincoln and Democrat Stephen Douglas. The debates were centered around slavery and new territories, as well as how slavery should be treated in new territories. The debates ended with the Freeport Doctrine's creation, which answered Lincoln's question of how to restrict slavery after Dred v. Scott. The doctrine stated that a state can fight slavery by not enforcing/creating laws that support it. -
Harper's Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown led 18 men in a raid on Harper's Ferry. Brown planned to gather slaves and create a group of freed slaves to fight slavery, but he was captured before the raid was over. 10 of his men were killed when Brown was captured, two of them being his sons. Although the raid was unsuccessful, it still heightened tensions among Southern slaveowners who feared another slave uprising. -
John Brown
John Brown was an abolitionist who led the raid on Harper's Ferry in 1859. The raid was unsuccessful, and Brown was captured shortly after it started. He was found guilty of treason and murder on November 2, 1859, and he was executed exactly one month later. Before he was executed, he wrote “I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood." -
Election of 1860
In the election of 1860, Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln beat out Democrat candidate Stephen Douglas for President. The campaign topics centered around slavery and territory. The Democratic party was split over slavery, whereas the Republican party had a definite stance on it. This confidence and stability encouraged voters to elect a Republican, and it drew a clear line between the Democratic and Republican parties. -
Secession
After the election of 1860, many southern states seceded from the Union. The first state to secede was South Carolina on Dec. 20, 1860, followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennesee. -
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
In his first inaugural address, Lincoln made many promises and established his stance on many topics. He promised not to change or interfere with slavery legislation where it existed, which maintained his popularity in the south. He also promised to temporarily halt federal government activities in hostile areas to reduce malice. He also stood strong against secession, which kept his popularity in the north.