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Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner was a black slave that led a slave rebellion throughout the South. This rebellion caused terror to travel through and "shake up" the whites. As a result of Turner's rebellion, stricter slave codes and restrictions were established as the pro-slavery movement grew. This rebellion also led to many new abolitionist movements and speakers to emerge up until the Civil War. -
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The Antebellum Period
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The Gag Rule
The growing amount of people against slavery became very evident by 1836. Due to the amount of people petitioning the government when it came to the abolition of slavery, the Gag Rule was passed as a resolution to table all petitions regarding to the topic of slavery. It was thought that anything that dealt with slavery "distracted from political matters" therefore this rule stayed until 1844. -
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a former slave that educated himself on how to read and write. He was a writer and published many autobiographies that helped create a name for himself in the abolitionist movement. He later became an abolitionist leader that became well known from attending the first Free Soil convention and endorsing it's strategy. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful proposal which had the goal of eliminating slavery from the land that was acquired after the Mexican War. This proposal was created by David Wilmot, a Democrat in the House of Representatives. -
Free Soil Movement
The Free Soil Party was established to prevent the Slave Power Conspiracy from starting in America. This party opposed the growth of slavery and contributed greatly towards the tensions between the antislavery and pro-slavery groups. The Free Soil Movement was a key factor in the many causes of the Civil War to due the increasing of tensions between the North and South. -
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad consisted of a network of hidden trials and houses that runaway slaves could hide in. This long route started from the South and ended in the North, where these slaves found freedom. Harriet Tubman is well known when it comes to the Underground Railroad. She made 19 trips and lead over 300 slaves to freedom. -
Compromise of 1850
This compromise was an attempt prevent even more tensions between the North and the South. This was beneficial to both the North and South. The North gained California as a free state and the South was granted the Fugitive Slave Act, which required that runaway slaves must be returned to their owners, even if they were able to escape to a free state. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book was inspired by the Fugitive Slave Act and focused on the pure evilness of slavery. This story contributed to the increase of abolitionists by the late 1850's. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed the people of these territories to decide if they wanted slavery within their borders or not. This act of popular sovereignty led to the outlawing of the Missouri Compromise. This highly benefited the South, this caused many tensions and conflicts between the North and South. For example, Bleeding Kansas was a result of this act and this soon escalated to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott v. Stanford
This case was one of the major events having to do with slavery leading up to the Civil War. Dred Scott was a slave living in a free state, but he wanted to be emancipated. This was brought to court, but the court ruled that no black was a citizen of the United States and therefore Dred Scott did not have the right to be in court.
