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Uncle Tom's cabin
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and published in 1852. It played a significant role in the lead-up to the American Civil War. The book depicted the harsh realities of slavery and its impact on enslaved individuals. It became a bestseller and ignited discussions about slavery's morality and contributed to the abolitionist movement in the United States. -
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Bloody Kansas
"Bloody Kansas" refers to a period of violent conflict in the Kansas Territory during the mid-1850s. It stemmed from the debate over whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers clashed, leading to numerous violent incidents. This strife foreshadowed the larger sectional tensions that eventually erupted into the American Civil War. -
Republican party
The Republican Party opposed the spread of slavery into the western territories. Their key beliefs included opposition to slavery's expansion, support for economic development, and a moral objection to slavery. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, was elected as the 16th President of the United States in 1860, which contributed to the South's secession and the onset of the Civil War. -
Kanases Nebraska act
It allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery (popular sovereignty), effectively overturning the Missouri Compromise of 1820. This act led to intense conflict, violence, and "Bleeding Kansas" as pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers clashed over the future of these territories, exacerbating sectional tensions that ultimately contributed to the outbreak of the American Civil War. -
The Brooks-Sumner incident
The Brooks-Sumner incident in 1856 involved a violent attack by pro-slavery Representative Preston Brooks on anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner in the U.S. Senate. It symbolized the growing tensions over slavery that would lead to the Civil War. -
Election of 1856
The 1856 U.S. presidential election featured James Buchanan (Democrat), John C. Frémont (Republican), and Millard Fillmore (American Party). Buchanan won, but the election highlighted the growing division over slavery, setting the stage for the Civil War. -
LeCompton Constitution
Proposed for the territory of Kansas in the 1850s, aimed to admit Kansas as a state while preserving and protecting slavery. However, it was highly contentious because it allowed slavery regardless of whether the people of Kansas voted for or against it. This led to a fierce political battle in Congress, with pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces at odds over its approval. Ultimately, the Lecompton Constitution was rejected, highlighting the deep-seated divisions over slavery in the United States -
Dred scott
Dred Scott was an enslaved man who sued for his freedom in 1857. The Supreme Court's decision ruled against him, stating that enslaved individuals were not citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories. This decision deepened tensions over slavery and played a role in the lead-up to the Civil War. -
House Divided Speech
delivered by Abraham Lincoln, upon accepting the Illinois Republican Party's nomination for U.S. Senate. In the speech, Lincoln famously stated, "A house divided against itself cannot stand," referring to the growing divide over slavery in the United States. He argued that the nation could not endure permanently half slave and half free and that it would eventually become all one thing or all the other. -
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of seven historic debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas. They centered on the issue of slavery's expansion into new territories, showcasing Lincoln's moral stance and contributing to his future presidency. Although Lincoln lost the Senate race, the debates elevated him nationally -
HArper's Ferry
It is most notably associated with John Brown's raid in 1859. Brown, an abolitionist, and his followers captured the federal armory at Harper's Ferry in an attempt to instigate a slave rebellion. The raid failed, and Brown was captured, tried, and executed. This event heightened tensions between the North and South over the issue of slavery and is considered one of the precursors to the Civil War. -
John Brown
The Republican Party before the Civil War was founded in the 1850s and opposed the spread of slavery into the western territories. Their key beliefs included opposition to slavery's expansion, support for economic development, and a moral objection to slavery. Abraham Lincoln, a Republican, was elected as the 16th President of the United States in 1860, which contributed to the South's secession and the onset of the Civil War. -
Lincoln's 1" lnaugural Address
Abraham Lincoln emphasized his commitment to preserving the Union and declared that no state had the right to unilaterally secede. He also reassured the South that he had no intention of interfering with slavery where it already existed. Despite his conciliatory tone, the Civil War began shortly thereafter. -
Election of 1860
The 1860 U.S. presidential election was defined by the slavery issue. Abraham Lincoln's victory as the Republican candidate, with his platform against the expansion of slavery into new territories, prompted several Southern states to secede from the Union. This pivotal moment set the stage for the Civil War and, ultimately, the end of slavery in the United State -
Succession
Secession before the Civil War was primarily caused by growing tensions over slavery and states' rights. It began when South Carolina seceded from the Union in December 1860, followed by other Southern states, leading to the formation of the Confederate States of America and the eventual outbreak of the Civil War in 1861.