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Mexican-American War
(1846-1848) Texans fought Mexico in order to gain more land, for their devotion to Manifest Destiny. After the capture of Mexico City, Mexico was forced to make a treaty with the U.S. The treaty protected the land that had already been taken, but the U.S. would not be able to take more land from Mexico. -
Lecompton Constitution
(1847+1848)Buchanan had to decided to accept or deny a proslavery constitution for Kansas by Lecompton even though the majority of settlers opposed it. Buchanan asked Congress to accept it and admit Kansas as a slave state but many Democrats joined with Republicans in denying the Lecompton Constitution. The next year, in 1848, the document was overwhelmingly rejected by Kansas settlers. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay proposed another plan to prevent the South from seceding. All territory above the 36 30 line would be free and all territory south of it would allow slavery. -
Fugitive Slave Law
Part of the Compromise of 1850, that allowed the South to reacquire their escaped slaves from the North. But Northerners did not accept the new law, and the compromise attempting to create peace only brought more tension. -
Underground Railroad
Network of Northern free blacks, ex-slaves, and white abolitionists aiding the northern movements of escaped slaves.(1800-1860) -
Pro & Con Literature
Popular books and unpopular laws stirred the emotions of people everywhere, including Europeans. The books rose tension between the North and South, and Abraham Lincoln credited these books for starting the war. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Allowed the population of Kansas and Nebraska to decided if the territories should be free or slave states, which were above the 36 30 line, promoting westward expansion in both the North and South, but favoring the North due to the ease of the venture. -
Bleeding Kansas
Slavery and antislavery groups fought over the Kansas territory violently, while Washington ignored the war. -
Republican Party Est.
The newly conceived party opposed the spread of slavery but did not seek to end it. -
Sumner-Brooks Incident
Senator Charles Sumner verbally attacked Congressman Preston Brook's absent uncle, Senator Andrew Butler, in his speech "The Crimes Against Kansas". Brooks defended his uncle's honor by walking into the Senate Chamber and beating Sumner over the head with a cane. Both the cane and Sumner never fully recovered. Brooks defended himself by explaining dueling was too good for Sumner, but a cane was fit for a dog. This example projected the growing emotions of both sides. -
Panic of 1857
Northern unemployment increased, but the South was unaffected, leading them to believe their plantation economy was superior to the North's urbanized economy. -
Dred Scott v Sandford
Dred Scout was taken as a slave from Missouri to the free state of Wisconsin and lived there for two years before returning back to slavery, when he then sued the state of Missouri. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
Lincoln challenged Douglas for presidency and won fame through this House Divided Speech and the presidency as well. -
John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry
John Brown started a slave uprising. -
Election of 1860
More and more people realized the country was falling apart, so this election was the test to see if the nation would survive. This election saw the establishment of the Constitutional Union party. Lincoln won the election.
