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War with Mexico
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo (1848)
Mexico recognized Rio Grande as Texas Border
US took possession of California and New Mexico
US paid $15 million to cover debt to Mexico
Caused debate whether new states should be free or slave, caused tension between North and South -
Period: to
Road to Civil War
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Compromise of 1850
California was a free state
Divide new mexican territory into Utah and new Mexico -- they decide if free or slave state
Ban slave trade in District of Columbia, but if slaves were already there, they stayed
Fugitive Slave Law
Fugitive Slave Law and popular sovereignty caused controversy -
Fugitive Slave Law
Track down escaped slaves and send them back to the plantation they came from
Infuriated North, helped South -
Underground Railroad
Abolitionist helped escaped slaves reach freedom in the North or Canada
Southerners were enraged -
Pro and Con Literature
Uncle Tom’s Cabin -- anti slavery -- slave vs slaveowner -- Caused Northerners to see slaveholders as monsters
Impending Crisis of the South -- anti slavery -- slavery weakened economy -- south tried to ban book
Southerners tried to say slavery was good for both the slave and slaveowner
Polarized the nation even more -
Kansas Nebraska Act (1854)
Stephen Douglas wanted to build railroad to promote westward settlement -- needed southern approval
Proposed bill to split Nebraska territory into Kansas and Nebraska -- let territories decided
Fell north of Missouri Compromise line, allowed South to expand slavery northern
Broke the lid off the tension because it reversed the Missouri compromise, conflict between antislavery and proslavery exploded -
Republican Party Establishment (1854)
Founded in Wisconsin -- direct action from Kansas-Nebraska Act
Made by abolitionist -- made to stop the spread of slavery, not end it
As fighting continued in Kansas, more and more people joined party
The success of the party alienated and threatened the South -
Bleeding Kansas (1855)
Slaveholders went into Kansas
Abolitionist created the New England Emigrant Aid Company which paid for antislavery settlers to travel to KS
Fighting broke out -- nicknamed “Bleeding Kansas”
led to the establishment of the Republican Party -
Sumner-Brooks Incident (1856)
Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner verbally attacked the South in his speech “The Crime Against Kansas”
Southern congressman Preston Brooks beat him with a cane
Brooks outraged North, South applauded him -- another sign of growing tension -
Panic of 1857
Midcentury economic boom ended with a financial panic
Prices in midwest dropped
Unemployment in North increased
South saw no change
Southerners believed their economy was superior and northern economy was not needed -
Dred Scott vs. Stanford (1857)
Dred Scott - a free slave -- argued that since he lived on free soil, he was a free person and he tried to sue
Supreme Court said he Couldn’t sue, slaves were property, and completely reversed Missouri Compromise
Please south, infuriated north, many northerners left -
Lecompton Constitution (1857)
President Buchanan had to decided to accept or reject proslavery Kansas constitution
Knew it didn’t support what most settlers wanted
Asked congress to accept it -- they did not
More tension -
Lincoln-Douglas Debate (1858)
Lincoln vs. Douglas senate race
Lincoln challenged Douglas to reconcile popular sovereignty
Douglas said slavery wouldn't exist if the community didn’t pass slave codes maintaining it -- angered South
Douglas won election but alienated South -- Lincoln came out as leading contender for Republican nomination -
John Brown Raid (1859)
Tried to start slave uprising in Virginia -- use guns and rise up in revolt -- captured and killed
North said they didn’t support violence - South saw raid as final proof of North’s intention - use slave revolts to destroy South -
Election of 1860
Caused break up of Democratic Party, the unions only hope of staying together
Lincoln was nominated to run for president - South threatened that if he was elected, they would secede
Formation of the Constitutional Union Party - pledged enforcement of the constitution and preservation of the Union
Lincoln won - South tried to secede
