-
Wilmot Proviso
The Missouri Compromise did not apply to the huge territory gained from Mexico in 1848 -
Compromise of 1850
In September 1850, Congress finally passed five bills based on Clay’s proposals. -
John Brown's Massacre at Pottawatomie Creek
In 1859, Brown and a small band of supporters attacked the town of Harpers Ferry in Virginia. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is first published
In 1852, Stowe published Uncle Tom’s Cabin, a novel about kindly Uncle Tom, an enslaved man who is abused by the cruel Simon Legree. -
Kansas - Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by the U.S. Congress on May 30, 1854. It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders. -
Dred Scott Decision
In March 1857-only three days after Buchanan took office-the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a shattering blow to antislavery forces. -
Lincoln - Douglas Debate "A House Divided Against itself can not stand."
In 1858, Illinois Republicans chose Lincoln to run for the Senate against Douglas. -
John Brown's Raid at Harpers Ferry, Virginia
In 1859, Brown and a small band of supporters attacked the town of Harpers Ferry in Virginia. -
Abraham Lincoln is elected as a Republican President
It was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1860. In a four-way contest, the Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin emerged triumphantly. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
Declaration of the Immediate Causes Which Induce and Justify the Secession of South Carolina, (December 24, 1860). -
Confederate States of America are formed
With the hope of accommodation all but gone, six more states followed South Carolina out of the Union. However, not all southerners favored secession. 1861 in February
