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The Missouri Compromise
-Slavery had once again begun to rapidly grow, causing Northern and Southern politicains to have many intense debates.
-Henry Clay, known as the "Great Compromiser", usually settled these disputes.
-Clay had settled a debate between the opposing forces by claiming that Maine would become a free state and Arkansas would become a slave state.
-This was the Missouri Compromise; the compromise was a list of laws that were created to control the balance between slave and free states. -
The Nullification Crisis
-Tariffs were passed in 1828 and 1832 causing the South to assume that the tariffs only benefitted the North.
-John C. Calhoun,vice president at the time, stated that states did not have to follow federal laws if they found them unconstitutional.
-Federal government disagreed and said that states were required to follow the laws that are passed.
-Caused tensions between the North and South; South Carolina threatened to secede.
Henry Clay took action and create a compromise to lower the tariffs. -
Compromise of 1850
-Debates over the new territories and if they would become free or slave occured after the Mexican War.
-Just like he did during the Nullification Crisis, Henry CLay had settled the dispute and aided the congress to create a compromise
-The compromise stated that California would become a free state and the rest oof the territories were free to become slave states since they were not going to pass any laws that restricted slavery. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
In 1850 the Congress had passed an act called the “Fugitive Slave Act”. This act allowed people of the north to capture African Americans who had escaped slavery in the South and who had fled to the North for safety. These laws added more weight to the already tense relationship between the North and the South. This had foreseen the John Brown’s Raid and the American Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas
-Kansas had started to vote for their representatives and proslavery people took this oppourtunity
-5000 proslavery people had traveled to Kansas and had illegally participated in the voting.
Anti-slavery people heard about this and had started to creat their own government in Kansas.
-Many disputes between the opposing forces occured here for example, proslavery forces had attacked the anti-slavery government.
-John Brown wanted to wanted avenge the government so he murdered many of his proslav -
Dred Scott Decision 1857
Dred Scott was a slave who had escaped slavery and who had lived in Illinois, a Free State, and Wisconsin, a free territory, before he decided to move to Missouri, a slave state. The United States had decided many things: all blacks—no matter if they were free or slaves—were not permitted to become citizens of the United States, the Missouri Compromise was considered unconstitutional, and slavery was now permitted in all the country’s territories. -
Attack on Harpers Ferry 1859
-John Brown, an abolitionist, wanted to inspire slaves to fight against their oppressors and for the freedom they were neglected.
-Brown had planned to forcefully obtain the arm'ys aresenal in Harpers Ferry
-Brown had sent messages to the slaves, hoping they would attend but in the end none did.
-Nevertheless, Brown and his followers had attackeed and were captured, except for the ten men that were killed.
-Slavery created many tensions and had eventually pushed America to the breaking point. -
The Election of 1860
-Abraham Lincoln had won the presidential election of 1860.
-Even though he said nothing about making slavery illegal, the southern states didn't trust him
-Shortly after Lincoln's victory, southern states begun to secede.
