-
Nat Turner Rebellion
Nat Turner, a Virginia slave, leads the bloodiest slave rebellion in United States history; 70 whites are killed in the uprising. In the hunt for Turner, 100 blacks are killed. -
Garrison Organizes Against Slavery
William Lloyd Garrison, along with other whites and blacks, organizes theNew England Antislavery Society. -
Fugitive Slave Act
As a portion of the Compromise of 1850, a new—and much harsher—Fugitive Slave Act is passed. It strengthens the enforcement of the fugitive slave clause in the Constitution (Art. IV, sec. 2), makes the federal government responsible for the apprehension and return of all escaped slaves, and facilitates the job for slave catchers. The fugitives in question are denied a jury trial.
web link: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part4/4p2951.html -
Uncle Tom Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin is published in complete form (it was printed as a series of articles). It infuriates the South, where most states ban its sale. Still, some one million copies are sold within the first year of publication. During the Civil War, President Lincoln will meet Stowe in the White House and reportedly say to her (in so many words): "So you're the little lady that caused this great big war.http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/publication-uncle-toms-cabin -
Lincoln Elected
Abraham Lincoln is elected president of the United States, defeating both Democratic candidates, Stephen Douglass and John Breckinridge, and the Constitutional Union Party candidate, John Bell. link: http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/abraham-lincoln-elected-president
