-
Uncle Tom's Cabin
This novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe showed the hardships of a bought slave and the cruelty they received. This book showed the people how awful slavery truly was. This book was very popular with most of the north while the rest of the northerners and southerners despised the book saying it was a misrepresentation of how slavery was, increasing the tensions between the two.
Credit for the Picture: https://www.amazon.com/Uncle-Toms-Cabin-Original-Illustrations/dp/1645940071 -
Kansas - Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska act, proposed by Stephen Douglas, tried to address the expansion of slavery. It repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty to vote for or against slavery. This act was the reason for what is known as "Bloody Kansas".
Credit for the picture: https://civilwaronthewesternborder.org/encyclopedia/kansas-nebraska-act -
Bloody Kansas
Pro and anti-slavery advocates flooded the territories to convince and sway them to their respective sides. A repeated number of violent fights with guerrilla warfare between pro and anti-slavery forces occurred. John Brown was considered the main leader of this as he lead many anti-slavery forces in horrific battles the worst being the Pottawatomi Massacre.
Picture credit: https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/bleeding-kansas -
Republican Party
The Republican party came to be to stop the expansion of slavery into the new US territories after the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed.
Picture Credit: https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/republican-party-founded -
Brooks Sumner Incident
Also called the Caning of Charles Sumner occurred in the US Senate chambers when pro-slavery advocate Preston Brooks attacked anti-slavery advocate Charles Sumner with a walking cane and almost killed him, leaving him with lasting injuries. Brooks was said to be provoked by Sumner after he gave a speech attacking slavery and pro-slavery senators a few of which were Brooks's relatives.
Picture Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caning_of_Charles_Sumner -
Election of 1856
This broadcasted the newly formed Republican party. This was a three-way election between Democrat James Buchanan, Republican John C. Fremont, and Whig President Millard Fillmore. The winner was James Buchanan.
Picture Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1856_United_States_presidential_election -
Lecompton Constitution
This was drafted by Southern pro-slavery advocates in Kansas. If approved it would allow for slavery in the state of Kansas. This contained the protection of owning slaves and a bill of rights excluding free blacks. This added to the rising tensions leading to the Civil War.
Picture Credit: https://www.kshs.org/index.php?url=km/items/view/207409 -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott along with his wife was moved to a free state by his master before returning to a slave state. Scott sued for his freedom in the Dred Scott case. He lost, the court stated that blacks could not be citizens, they were property. This pleased the south and angered the north as the court had decided that it could not contain the limits of slavery within the territories making the Missouri Compromise void, this was the first time since 1803 that a court decision was made unconstitutional. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
A series of seven debates between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln in the 1858 Illinois senatorial campaign, centering around the expansion of slavery into the territories. During the second debate, Douglas was asked by Lincoln if there was a way people could prevent slavery. His answer was if the people elect those who hate slavery then it will not happen(Freeport Doctrine). Douglas won the campaign but lost his Southern Democratic supporters as his doctrine undermines the supreme court. -
House Divided
This speech was given by Abraham Lincoln when he was running for Senator after he accepted his nomination for Illinois Republican Party. In his speech, Lincoln goes over the Dred Scott case saying that this opened the door for slavery to be legalized everywhere from the territories to the Northern States. He warned that if the US wanted to be free they must act now before it is too late. When he is talking about a "house divided" it refers to America, split between pro and anti-slavery advocates -
Harper's Ferry
This was an effort made by John Brown and a few other co-conspirators to raid the arsenal at Harper's Ferry Virginia to initiate a slave revolt in the South. Johns's party was defeated by the US marines and most of his party including himself were executed while five escaped.
Picture credit: https://www.battlefields.org/learn/topics/john-browns-harpers-ferry-raid -
John Brown
John Brown was an anti-slavery advocate. He was responsible for the Pottawatomi massacre where the men were not just killed but brutally mutilated and hacked to pieces. He was also responsible for other acts including the Harper's Ferry raid where he attempted to seize weapons from the arsenal in Virginia to start the slave revolt in the South, which lead to his downfall. He was executed for his crime.
Picture Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Brown_%28abolitionist%29 -
Election of 1860
This was a four-way election, the first since the election of 1824. This was between Bell, Breckinridge, Douglas, and Lincoln. Because of the Freeport Doctrine Douglas lost his Southern supporters and Abraham Lincoln won the election. This was the last straw for the South and the secession started.
Picture Credit: https://www.ushistory.org/us/32d.asp -
Secession
The South was fed up with everything so they succeeded starting with South Carolina. The secession order followed who voted for what candidate in the election of 1860. Those who voted for Bell were on the fence and were the last to succeed. Those who voted for Breckinridge succeeded first. Those who voted for Lincoln and Douglas stayed.
Picture Credit: https://www.ushistory.org/us/32e.asp -
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
This address appealed for the preservation of the Union keeping his Northern support without cutting off the South. This was an attempt at compromise promising that he would not use force to keep the Union or stop slavery in states in already existed in. Despite his words, he did not approve of secession or government property being taken.
Picture Credit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln%27s_first_inaugural_address