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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. In this novel, Stowe tells the story of a slave named Uncle Tom and his relationship with another slave, Eliza, who he helps to escape to freedom. This novel received mixed responses from both northern states and southern states. For the South, they felt that slavery was being misrepresented by Stowe, but the North sympathized with Uncle Tom's story line, and this difference created a bigger divide between the North and the South. -
Bloody Kansas
Bloody Kansas was a period of violence within Kansas in which pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces attempted to claim that territory for their own. During this time, The Lecompton Constitution was proposed as an attempt to allow slavery in Kansas, as well as the Pottawatomie Massacre in which John Brown led a group of pro slavery fighters in an attack on pro slavery forces. This event ended in 1861 when Kansas admitted to the Union as a free state, rejecting the Lecompton Constitution. -
Republican Party
The Republican Party was formed by anti-slavery Whigs after the former Whigs party fell apart following the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The majority of their supporters came from the North, which is how their first candidate, John Fremont, won the majority of their votes in 1856. Because of this popularity, the South threatened to secede from the Union if the Republican Party won the election. Staying true to their word, the South seceded after Lincoln, a Republican, won the 1860 election. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act was a law passed in 1854 that allowed the people of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not they wanted to allow slavery or not within their borders. This act replaced the Missouri Compromise that once had close the northern part of the Louisiana territory to slavery. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
Preston Brooks, a representative of South Carolina, was severely beat by Senator Charles Sumner in Senate Chamber. Angered by Brooks' speech in regards to slavery as well as his taunting of Andrew Butler, a southern pro-slavery senator, Sumner attacked Brooks with a cane and beat him to the point that he was left with permanent injuries. This violence in the chambers had shown that the events in Kansas had now spilled over into the country's legislature. -
Election of 1856
In the election of 1856, Democrat James Buchanan won over candidates John Fremont and Millard Fillmore. Though Republican candidate Fremont had the majority of votes from the North, it was not enough for him to win the election. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott v. Sanford was a court case in which they investigated whether Scott, an African American man, was a citizen of the US and was allowed to sue for his rights, whether him living in free territory made him free, and whether it was constitutional for Congress to ban slavery in free territories. Court ruled that Scott could not be a citizen and did not have the right to sue in court. Also, they decided that Congress did not have the right to limit slavery’s expansion into free territory. -
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was a document issued in Kansas in an attempt to protect slavery within the borders of Kansas. This constitution was rejecting, and it added to the growing tensions that led to the Civil War. -
House Divided Speech
The House Divided Speech was an address delivered by Abraham Lincoln in which he stated that the United States will not survive with a country half pro-slavery and half anti-slavery. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln Douglas Debates were a series of Debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas in which they discussed slavery and its extension into territory. -
Harper's Ferry
In John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry, he led a group of abolitionists in an attack on a federal armory in an attempt to start a slave revolt as a way to end the practice of slavery. Following the raid, Brown and his men were found and he was arrested for both treason and murder, for which he was sentenced to death. Brown's raid severed any ties the North and South had left, and this event became an important factor that led into the Civil War. -
Trial of John Brown
In this trial, John Brown was being charged for crimes committed during his raid on Harpers Ferry. The court ruled that Brown was guilty of treason against the state of Virginia, and was sentenced to death. Brown's trial highlighted the divide between the North and South, both dealing with increasing tensions concerning slavery. The North saw Brown as a heroic figure, but the South saw him as dangerous for the country. Because of Brown's actions, he inspired Union troops fighting against slavery -
Election of 1860
In the election of 1860, Abraham Lincoln beat out Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge , and John Bell to become the 16th president of the United States. This election further established Democrats and Republicans as the main political parties in the US, and it also confirmed the differing views on slavery between the North and the South. Lincoln becoming president caused southern states to secede from the Union, which ultimately led to the breakout of the Civil War weeks later. -
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Secession
In the secession, 11 southern states withdrew from the Union following Abraham Lincoln being elected as president of the United States. The South did not want a Republican in office because they felt they would try to abolish slavery, which was not what Lincoln was trying to do. Nonetheless, the South proceeded to secede from the Union, and this tension led into the Civil War. -
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
In Lincoln's first inaugural address, he attempted to settle issues with the South concerning slavery, while also trying to enforce laws within those southern states that had seceded from the Union. Lincoln promised that he would not interfere with slavery where it already existed and that he would not use any type of force in order to maintain the Union. Weeks after this speech was given, the Civil War had broken out and was forced to be a leader to a nation in the middle of a crisis.
