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Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a bill to outlaw slavery in any territory the United States might aqcuire from the War with Mexico. It never became a law. The south wanted to extend slavery by taking territory from Mexico. The north feared that it would upset the balance between free and slave states, which is why the Wilmot Proviso was introduced, by David Wilmot (pictured). -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a compromise between the north and the south. The north wanted California to be a free state, but southerners wanted it to be a slave state. Both sides worried about tipping the balance when California became a state. To please both the north and south, Henry Clay (pictured) crafted a plan. California would be admitted as a free state, but congress would not pass laws regarding slavery for the rest of the territories won from Mexico. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was a bill, which became a law. Under this law, fugitives could be held without an arrest warrant. They didn't have a right to a jury trial. Instead, a federal commissioner ruled on each side. Southerners supported the law, and northerners didn't because it required them to recapture runaway slaves. The picture is of people chasing a slave. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" was a novel, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The novel presented the curelty and immorality of slavery. The novel describes a runaway slave named Eliza and her baby. The book was popular in the north, but the south did not like it. The south argued that the book presented a false outlook on slavery in the south. The picture is the cover of the book. -
Formation of Repbulican Party
Some of the southern whigs joined the Democratic party. Others looked for leaders who supported slavery and the Union. The Northern whigs joined with other rivals and formed the Republican Party. The Republican Party was an antislavery party and a sectional party that would protect the interests of the North. Republicans didn't like slavery. The picture is of the Republican logo. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a bill to organize the Nebraska territory. It proposed to divide the territory into two parts - Nebraska and Kansas. To please the south, Senator Douglas (pictured) suggested that popular sovereignty should be used to decide whether a territory becomes either slave or free. Therefore, southerners liked the bill. The bill angered northerners, or the opponents of slavery, but it passed. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was the territory they used for civil war in Kansas. It was where proslavery mobs and antislavery mobs battled out their disagreement. The attacks were called the "Sack of Lawrence" and the "Potawatomie Massacre." The picture is a visual of one of the attacks. -
Caning of Charles Sumner
Charles Sumner spoke against proslavery forces in Kansas. He insulted A. P. Butler, a senator from South Carolina. Preston Brooks, a relative of Butler, heard Charles Sumner's speech. He attackd Charles, who was sitting at his desk in Congress. Brooks beat Sumner with a can until he was unconscious, causing injuries that disabled him for years. Brooks was cheered in the South, but Northerners were shcoked at the violence in the Senate. The picture is showing Sumner getting caned by Brooks. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott (pictured) had been an enslaved person in Missouri. However, he had lived for a time in free territories before being taken back. Scott argued that he was a free black man when his owner died, because he had lived in territories where slavery was illegal. The court ruled against Scott, and said that he wasn't a US citizen, which meant that he could not sue. The case implied that no state could be a free state, which thrilled slaveowners (south) and outraged abolitionists (north). -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 turned into two different races for presidency - one in the North and one in the South. Lincoln and Douglas were the only candideates with a lot of support in the North. Breckinridge and Bell competed for Southern votes. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery. Lincoln won the election because of the fact that the North had a greater population. The picture shows the North winning the race. -
Secession
Secede means to withdraw. When Lincoln won the presidency, Southern states seceded from the Union. South Carolina was the first state to secede. Southern states, where the economies depended on slavery and cotton production, also considered secession. A couple months later, the states that had seceded met in Montgomery, Alabama. They formed the Confederate States of America (pictured). Northerns considered the secession of the Southern states was unconstitutional. -
Attack on Harpers Ferry
John Brown wanted to provoke a slave uprising, so he planned to capture the weapons in the US arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown and 18 followers, 13 white and 5 black, captured the Harpers Ferry arsenal. US marines attacked Brown at Harpers Ferry. Brown and 6 of his men were captured, and 10 men were killed. Brown was convicted and sentenced to hang. Southerners were enraged by Brown's actions. The Northerners fired guns and tolled bells in his honor. The picture is of Harpers Ferry.
