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Eli Whitney & the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney was a pioneer. Born in Westboro Massachusetss and is often recognized by his invention of the cotton gin. It was a machine that wove cotton much quicker than hands could keep up, however hands were still used for picking the cotton. After the invention and ability to mass produce cotton clothing, there became a high demand for it as well which allowed the south to argue that they needed slaves more than ever for the picking process. -
Jackson & Nullification (1832)
Andrew Jaskcon was elected president in 1828. Throughout his presidency he was battling the south in their acts of nullification. Nullification is when a state can enfore or deny a national government las if they feel that it is non-constitutional. Jackson struggling with South Carolina specifically in taxes. The nullification crisis was lead by his vice-President John C. Calhoun and eventually ended in the Compromise tariff and helped launch an attack on the south in war 30 years later. -
Compromise Tariff
The Compromise Tariff was Jackson's effort to gain compliance from South Carolina in their refusal to pay taxes on cotton, as one of the largest (if not largest) slave holding state at the time. The agreement was that S.C. would have to pay taxes, but in return Jackson would gradually lower the tariff over an extended period of time. Also, if taxes were not being paid, then Jackson could send in the military to make them pay. This gave a presidential power to use martial law on rebelling states. -
Fugitive Slave Act (1850)
This was one of the most controversial acts passed by Congress and it was between the south slave holdy states and the north free soilers. It declared that all runway slaves must be brought back to their owners. This intensified the northern fear of a 'slave power conspiracy. It gave southt eh freedom to capture and enslave black people who had been free their whole lives and track down run aways. It also rose tensions leading to the war. -
Bleeding Kansas (1854-1860)
Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent offenses between the north and south in the migration to Kansas for its admission to the United States. It was highly debated if Kansas would be a slave or free state and as a result they decided that popular sovereignty would be the deciding factor. People moved in from the north and south to try to weigh the votes and it resulted in burning of houses and killing families. This phenomenon was a prime example of being on the brink of declaring war. -
Dred Scott vs. Sandford (1857)
In the Dred Scott vs. Kansas trial a black man decided to fight for his freedom in court. He mad eth epoint that his owner died and by his will he was given to a family member that lived in a fee state. By law, he believed that he could not be held captive in a free state. The court ruling did not grant him freedom, witht he agrument that he was not a citizen and did not have any rights. This lead to a wild increase in putting free black citizens of the north into slavery for life in the south. -
Election of Abraham Lincoln (1860)
The election of Abraham Lincoln was the set off for South Carolina breaking away from the United Sates and the south wanting independence. In response, Lincoln put two states under martial law, released the slaves in the south to weaken their defense as an act of military gain, and launched an atteck on the south. These were out of the south's conviction that the election wasn't fair and two thirds of the population didn't want him to be president. By the end of the war slavery was abollished.
