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Period: to
The Road to War
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The Mexican American War
(1846 - 1848) Created a shift in the balance of power to favour the North and added new territories to the US. -
The Compromise of 1850
A set of Laws intended to defuse tension between the North and South by creating a boundary for slavery in the western territories excluding Missouri. -
Fugitive Slave Act
Law that declared all union states to capture and return slaves to their respective owners, created paranoia in the north that the South was able to exert their power to much. -
The Underground Railroad
A secret network of safe houses that helped slaves escape to Canada -
Pros and Cons Literature
Books that described the downsides of having slavery as an institution in a state. -
The Kansas Nebraska Act
Introduced the concept of popular sovereignty into the new territories of Kansas and Nebraska regarding slavery -
Bleeding Kansas (1854 - 1861)
A series of conflicts over whether or not Kansas should have slavery or not -
The Sumner-Brooks incident
Preston Brooks beats Charles Sumner with a cane, was seen as a barbaric act of violence against the ideas of the North -
Establishment of the Republican Party
Created to oppose slavery in the new territories of the US. -
Panic of 1857
Economic collapse in the North creating mass unemployment, South believed this ment their economy was superior to the North -
The Lecompton Constitution
A document submitted by the Pro-Slavery Kansas government that was rejected by the people of kansas and the US congress. -
Dred Scott decision
A court case that ensures a slave remains a slave regardless of where in the US they are, effectively overrode the concept of popular sovereignty in the territories. -
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
series of debates between Lincoln and Douglas over the issues of the Dred Scott decision and the idea of popular sovereignty which resulted in Douglas being alienated by his own party and later losing the election. -
John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown's final raid to try to start a slave insurrection in Virginia, this event was seen as an attempt to destroy the South's way of life. -
Election of 1860
A tense time for the Union as many believed that the US would cease to exist, this election saw the fracturing of the Democrat party and the election of Lincoln.
