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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was compromised by Henry Clay. The purpose of the Missouri Compromise was to make sure that Missouri was entered into the union as a slave state and Main was a slave free state. It also made sure that anything at a certain cardinal point would be a slave state or not. This event forever impacted history because it had a fine line between slave and non-slave states. This later helped provoke many change in the U.S. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was made to eliminate slavery in the government owned countries as a result of the Mexican War. President James K. Polk was apart of the Wilmot Proviso and he negotiated 2 million dollars to win over the treaty. The Wilmot Proviso was named after David Wilmot. David first proposed this article to the House of Representatives on August 8, 1846. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of laws that wanted to end slavery. Senator Henry Clay also compromised this compromise as well as the Missouri Compromise of 1820. In this comrpomise California would enter the union as a free state while the remaineder of the land divided into the New Mexico territory and the Utah territory by being voted on by popular sovereignty. The compromise was meant to end slavery in the north and south. This compromise had a total of 5 key laws. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850.This slave act would allow anyone who was accused of being a runaway slave to be sent back to the south and go back to slavery. This law was passed by September 18, 1850. This act or law was apart of the Compromise of 1850 and was created by Congress. This law not only upset African Americans but also Northerners, this meant that slavery was legal everywhere and no African American was free. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and was published in 1852. This book was known as the cause of the Civil War because it was an anti-slavery book which cause contriversy between the north and south. When the novel was published everyone around America was able to read this. It allowed northerners to realize how bad slavery actually was and made southerners upset because they didn't want people to know what was actually going on in slavery. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansa-Nebraska act was an act that allowed Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themself if they want to be slave state or slave free state. The result of this act was that more people moved to Kansas and Nebraska so that they could vote. This Act would affect the Missouri Compromise which kept the Union from falling apart. This act was passed by congress on May 30, 1854. The Kansas Nebraska Act was being led by anti-slavery leader John Brown. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom. He lived in two different places where slavery was illegal. He argued that, that meant he was a freed slave. The Dred Scott Case was not fair because of the amendment that allowed him to be considered free but, Congress would not grant him that freedom. This case ended in 1857. Congress plead that a slave who has ancestors who were important to the US and were sold as slaves free or not, no one would be considered an American citizen. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Douglas believed that each individual state should decide if they want to be a slave state or not. Lincoln believed that slavery should not spread into the western territories. Lincoln also believed that African Americans should have the right to life,liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Stephan Douglas won the election, but the debates mad Abraham Lincoln a national figure throughout the country. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown was a very religious man, who traveled from state to state giving speeches on his thought of slavery. He supported the abolitionist movement. He believed violence should be met with violence and killed many pro-slavery people. He hoped to inspire rebellion in the slave population and tried to catch their attention. In 1859, he and his men attacked Harpers Ferry. He was put on trial and found guilty for treason and he was sentenced to death. John Brown was hung on December 2nd 1859. -
Election of 1860
Abraham became president in 1860. Democrats became divided on whether to support slavery in the territories or not. The northern democrats nominated Stephen Douglas. The southerners nominated John Breckinridge. Lincoln had won in every free state, breckenridge has won in mostly every slave state, bell won three states in the south, and Douglas won one state. Abraham then received enough electoral votes to win the election. -
Southern Secession
The southerners believed that the president and the congress were both against all of their interests especially slavery. They felt that they did not have a voice anymore. They then seceded from the nation and became a separate country. Southern states kept on leaving so Lincoln said that he would not touch their states, just the free ones. He said that he didn't plan on getting rid of slavery but not spread it. The states became the confederate states and their president was Jefferson Davis.
