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Nat Turners Rebellion
Nat Turner was an educated slave preacher who gathered forces and lead the only effective slave rebellion in U.S. history. They attacked white settlements and killed almost 60 people. The rebellion terrified southerners and led to stricter slave codes and prohibited slave education and assembly to make sure slaves couldn't organize another destructive rebellion. -
American Anti-Slavery Society
Many abolitionists took a bold stance in the fight against slavery by forming the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS). Members of the AASS worked to convince slave holders that slavery was immoral and sent abolitionist petitions to Congress calling for an immediate end to slavery. They wrote the Declaration of Sentiments which called for equality and an end to black prejudice. The AASS led the way for future abolitionist groups and created a greater awareness towards the fight against slavery. -
Period: to
Antebellum period
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The Gag rule
By 1836, the opposition against slavery had grown considerably. Many abolitionists wrote anti-slavery petitions that bombarded the House of Representatives. The southern representatives were outraged and thought the petitions were insulting to slave holders. This led to the Gag rule being passed which prevented the reading and discussion of abolitionist petitions in the House of Representatives. The Gag rule was part of the reason that slavery continued for as long as it did in America. -
Frederick Douglass publishes " Narrative of the the Life of an American Slave"
Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who educated himself to read and write. He published several autobiographies and gave speeches about his experience as a slave. These autobiographies made him well known and boosted the abolitionist movement. He also edited a influential black newspaper that argued against the ideals of slavery. He eventually became one of the most influential and powerful abolitionists of his time and showed that blacks were as capable as whites. -
Underground Railroad
The underground railroad was a series of secret pathways that led from the south to the north. It was used by slaves to escape from slavery. Slaves were often helped by free blacks, abolitionists or religious people who helped navigate and protect slaves on their way to freedom. The underground railroad helped lead thousands of slaves to freedom in the 1800's. The fact that more and more slaves were escaping mysteriously was a great source of tension in the south. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was an attempt to keep the peace between north and south by solving divisions over whether slavery should be allowed in the new territories gained by the Mexican war. The compromise also instated the Fugitive Slave Act that required citizens to return escaped slaves to their masters, even if they were now in free states. This made no negro, whether they was living in a free or slave state, safe from slavery. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe was an American women who published "Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852. The book talked about the evils of slavery in a way that appealed to the sympathies of Americans. The book quickly became popular and support for the abolition movement grew in the north. This created a larger divide between the ideals of the north and south. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act overturned the Missouri Compromise and allowed the people living in Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether they allowed slaves or not. While Congress meant to ease tensions between the north and south by doing this, their conflicting views on slavery only increased the fighting. This conflict led to "Bleeding Kansas" and escalated fighting that led to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott case
The Dred Scott-Sanford case was one of the most controversial events involving slavery that led up to the Civil War. Dred Scott was a slave who had lived in a free and slave state with his master and argued in court that he should be emancipated. The court ruled that no person of color is a U.S. citizen and therefore has no right to be in court. The case was controversial and enraged Abolitionists and heightened resentment between the north and south. -
John Browns Rebellion ( Bleeding Kansas)
John Brown was a radical abolitionist who organized an attack on supporters of slavery during the "Bleeding Kansas" conflicts. Brown and his supporters captured a arsenal in hopes to arm a slave rebellion. Even though the rebellion was put down, John Brown became a figure for the anti-slavery movement in the north. The south, however, were outraged that they were living under the same government as people who thought Brown was a martyr and not a murderer.
