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Antebellum period
the time between the war of 1812 and the civil war -
The "Black Code"
Enacted by South Carolina, slaves are denied the right to assemble, produce food, earn money, learn to read, and to possess any clothing that is not low-quality. -
The North Star
Written by abolitionist Fredrick Douglas, the North Star was the most influential black antislavery paper published during the Antebellum period. -
Free Soil Party
This antislavery group was opposed to the westward expansion of slavery from which the Republican party will be born. They argued that free men on free soil comprised a morally and economically superior system to slavery. -
The Great Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay introduces an idea to subdue the fighting over if Missouri should be a slave state or free. The finale decision is that Missouri would be a slave state while Maine would become a free state. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law allowed for the capture and return o runaway slaves. Anyone who aided runaways were to be punished harshly. Some Northern states passed special legislation to try to overcome the acts. -
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Underground Railroad
The railroad was created in early 19th century but reached its height in 1850-1860. It was a network of secret routes and safe houses used by slaves to escape their owners. It is estimated that more than 100,000 slaves escaped through the railroad. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Described the horrors of slavery, The North made the book a bestseller while the South banned it. The novel helped set the groundwork for the civil war and was one of the first major abolitionist movements. -
Bleeding Kansas
Since the Kansas- Nebraska Act called for popular sovereignty, many violent political confrontations came about. The fighting was over if Kansas would enter the U.S. as a free or slave state. The term "Bleeding Kansas" was coined by Horace Greeley, in the New York Tribune. It indicated that compromise was unlikely and thus helped heighten tensions between the North and South. -
Dred Scott Vs. Sandford
Chief Justice Rodger B. Taney and the rest of the supreme court came to the decision that no Black, free or slave, could claim U.S. citizenship. This decision led to heightened tensions between the North and South. -
The Confederacy
States like South Carolina, Mississippi, Louisiana and other southern states leave the U.S. and form their own group called the Confederate states. These states supported slavery and wanted to be able to keep slavery alive in the U.S. This split of the country was the start of the civil war.