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Slaves arrive in Jamestown
Dutch traders brought Africans taken from a Spanish ship. These first Africans were treated as indentured servants. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was made to balance the amount of slave states in the U.S. The main point was to unite the nation, but it did the opposite. This divided the nation two halves; North,(Non-Slave) and South(Slave). -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner, a educated slave, saw the injustice of slavery and started a massive revolt. Soon, Turner's rebellion had spread to many southern Virginia plantations and massed over seventy cohorts of rebels. The U.S. militia managed to suppress the rebellion and executed Turner and fifty of his followers. Nat Turners rebellion is know as the bloodiness slave rebellion in U.S. history. This rebellion scared other plantations, indirectly making slave codes and restrictions harsher. -
The Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was brokered by Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas to 1. Admit California as a free state and 2. Diffuse tension between Slave and Non-Slave states. This compromise used the drawing of Texas' northern border to calm states down radicals from both sides of the slave line and solidify Texas' future as a slave state. -
The Undergroud Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a system of safe houses that runaway slaves could stay at on their way to the free north. The Underground Railroad helped undermine the institution of slavery and made the south distrust the north, driving a wedge in relations. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a fictional novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This novel depicted the lives of slaves and the atrocities committed by slave owners. This book opened the eyes of the north to slavery. The south proclaimed it to be slanderous. This book widened the gap between the north and the south by bringing the horrors of slavery to light. -
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Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a period of violence that happened in the Kansas-Nebraska territories. This period was brought on by the strong views of both sides of slavery. At least 200 people were killed by radicals during this time period. John Brown and his violent abolitionists wreaked havoc on pro slavery settlers.These were the first acts of violence brought on by slavery and set the tone of the violence of the upcoming civil war. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was proposed by Stephen Douglas, and allowed the Kansas and Nebraska territories to have popular sovereignty. This means that the general public could decide whether to be slave territories or not. The Kansas-Nebraska Act sparked great violence in these territories and started "Bleeding Kansas" -
Dred Scott v Sandford
Dred Scott was a slave that attempted to sue his owner for his, and his family's freedom. Scott's case eventually rose all the way to the supreme court. The court ruled against Scott saying that he was property that had no legal rights. -
Lincoln is Elected
Abraham Lincoln was elected president on January 6th, 1860. In his inaugural address, Lincoln vowed he would prevent the expansion of slavery. This greatly troubled the south, fearing he would exterminate slavery. Because of this the south had a diastase for Lincoln, leading to succession. -
South Carolina Succeeds
South Carolina voted unanimously to succeed from the union. South Carolina likely succeed from the union first because it had the most states. Being the home of John C. Calhoun, the ordinance of Nullification, and southern rights, South Carolina's succession was not a surprise. After South Carolina's succession, many states followed and joined the confederacy.
