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War w/ Mexico
The Rio Grande is established as the Southern border of Texas.
America took possession of New Mexico and Texas for $15 million.
Slavery was allowed in the new territories that caused conflict and unbalance. -
Underground Railroad
A network of free blacks, runaway slaves, and abolitionist that helped runaway slaves reach the north of Canada. -
Compromise of 1850
Admitted California as a free state.
Remaining Mexican Cession was divided into two.
Federal Government assumed $10 mil. debt from Texas to stop disputing.
Slave trade in DC is stopped but slaves are kept.
Adopting and enforcing the Fugitive Slave Laws
This split up political groups which caused division. -
Fugitive Slave Law
Law that states runaway slaves must be returned back to their owners even if they have reached Northern, free, land. This was resisted by antislavery Northerners, which causes tension. -
Bleeding Kansas
A series of violent civil confrontations from 1854-1861. It opened up the debate on the legality of slavery. -
Republican Party Est.
The division between Northern and Southern Whigs deepened and the Northern Whigs met together on March 20, 1854; there the Republican Party was founded. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This allowed the settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to vote on the decision of slavery. Because of the location, this overruled the Missouri Compromise. This was also known as the North's "surrender to slave power". -
Sumner-Brooks Incident
Representative Preston Brooks defended his uncle by beating Senator Charles Sumner with a cane. This moved the tension from Kansas to the capital. -
Panic of 1857
The economic boom in the North and Midwest ended abruptly.
The price of crops went down and unemployment increased.
The South wasn't effected so it gave them confidence in their ability to be independent. -
Dred Scott v. Stanford
A landmark decision that stated that a slave living on free land doesn't automatically make him a free man whenever. He is still able to be place back into slavery. -
Lecompton Constitution
Clauses protecting the slave holding and excluding blacks from the Bill of Rights. Although it was rejected it added tension leading up to the Civil War. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The Illinois Republican candidate and the Democratic candidate deeply debated about slavery. -
John Brown's Raid
Violent abolitionist, John Brown, tried to cause a revolt by arming the slaves to take over Harper Ferry, Virginia. -
Election of 1860
The two candidates were Lincoln and Breckenridge. The South promised to succeed if Lincoln was to won. Lincoln did win the election by a large majority. The South kept their promise and started taking steps to succeed.
