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Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 proposed by Henry Clay in order to avoid a crisis between the North and South, added more slave and free states to balance it out, and amended the fugitive slave act and abolished slave trade in Washington D.C. This helped to make slavery slowly diminish -
The Fugitive Slave Law
During the 1850's -1860's, citizens were required to help recover fugitive slaves. With no legal right for both free blacks and fugitives to plead their case in court, they were completely defenseless. During the next ten years, about 20,000 blacks fled to neighboring countries. The passage of this law made abolitionists even more resolved to put an end to slavery. It also made the Underground Railroad reach its peak between 1850 and 1860. Many blacks were captured and returned to slavery. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book in the perspective of a slave living in the South during the 1850's - 1860's. The book talked about how slaves were mistreated, and how hard their everyday lifes were. It also showed how slave owners punished slaves. This book caused many abolitionist want to fight for slaves rights. This book was one of the main reasons the North wanted to fight the South. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska during 1854. Stephen Douglas made a propose that Kansas be inclined to slavery, but according to the law, slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty. This abolished the Missouri Compromise, and made territory North of the 36 30 line open to slavery. -
Dred Scott vs. Sandford
During 1857, Dred Scott and his owner wnt to a free state, and once they got there, Dred Scott said that since he was in free land, he was no longer considered a slave. After bringing the case to Supreme Court, the verdict handed down was that slaves were property, not citizens of the U.S, therefore the federal court couldn't free them. This decision brought the attention of slavery towards the nation, and was a step towards slavery's ultimate destruction. -
The Election of 1860
During 1860 in South Carolina, canidates Lincoln, Douglas, Beckinridge, and Bell faced each other in the 19th presidential election. Even though no one won a majority of the popular vote, Abraham Lincoln won based on the Electoral College vote. This helped abolish slavery because of Abraham Lincoln's dislike towards slavery.
