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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin," depicted the harsh realities of slavery and had a significant impact on the anti-slavery movement. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, sponsored by Senator Stephen A. Douglas, allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery, effectively repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820. -
Bloody Kansas
A series of violent conflicts in Kansas Territory between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers, triggered by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. -
Republican Party
The Republican Party was founded as an anti-slavery political party in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. It quickly gained support in northern states. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina attacked Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane on the Senate floor after a heated debate over slavery. -
Election of 1856
The first presidential election in which the Republican Party participated. Democrat James Buchanan won the election. -
John Brown
John Brown, an abolitionist, led a raid on Harper's Ferry, Virginia, in 1859, aiming to incite a slave rebellion. The raid failed, and Brown was captured and executed. -
Harper's Ferry Raid
John Brown's raid on the federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia, was a pivotal event that heightened tensions between North and South over the issue of slavery. -
LeCompton Constitution
A pro-slavery constitution proposed for Kansas that sparked controversy and was ultimately rejected. It was seen as an attempt to make Kansas a slave state. -
Dred Scott
The Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court decision ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, could not be considered citizens and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
A series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas during their Illinois Senate race. The debates focused on slavery and popular sovereignty. -
Lincoln's House Divided Speech
Abraham Lincoln delivered his famous "A house divided against itself cannot stand" speech, highlighting the growing tensions over slavery in the United States. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
Abraham Lincoln delivered his first inaugural address as President, urging preservation of the Union and expressing a willingness to compromise on slavery-related issues. -
Secession
Southern states began seceding from the Union in response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President in 1860. -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln, representing the Republican Party, won the presidential election of 1860, which contributed to the secession of southern states and the onset of the Civil War.