antecedents to the civil war

  • Period: to

    john brown

    john brown was a white abolitionist who led the raid on harpers ferry. he fought to abolish slavery and led small groups of anti-slave volunteers during bleeding kansas.
  • Period: to

    angelina grimké

    angelina grimké was an important figure in the women's rights movement and an abolitionist. she and her sister lived in the south and were the only women to join the abolitionist movement.
  • Period: to

    william lloyd garrison

    garrison was a publisher of the newspaper titled "the liberator" and played a crucial role in the development of the abolitionist movement and journey towards the abolishment of slavery.
  • Period: to

    abraham lincoln

    lincoln, or "honest abe", was the 16th president of the united states. he brought forth the emancipation of slavery and was an advocate for equality. lincoln was assassinated in 1865.
  • Period: to

    harriet beecher-stowe

    harriet beecher-stowe was an author and an abolitionist. she wrote a famous novel called uncle tom's cabin which described the harsh conditions that enslaved people were living under during her time.
  • Period: to

    stephen douglas

    douglas was a politician and the leader of the democratic party. he was defeated by lincoln in the 1860 election and had strong opinions on the relation between slavery and popular sovereignty.
  • Period: to

    frederick douglass

    douglass was once a slave and surprised the community of his time by becoming an impressive writer, orator, and participant of the abolitionist movement.
  • missouri compromise

    The Missouri Compromise between the northern and southern states established the 36/30 line and kept a balance within the senate between slave and anti-slave territory. It was a major factor in the division of the north and south into two separate forces, opposing each other (leading up to the civil war).
  • Period: to

    mexican-american war

    the mexican-american war was sparked by the annexation of texas by the united states. mexico was frustrated because they believed that they owned the land that the united states added to their own territory.
  • compromise of 1850

    this compromise was composed of five separate bills to diffuse violence and tension between free states and slave states in 1850. it was only a temporary solution to stop debates over mexican-american territory.
  • kansas/nebraska act

    this act was passed by congress to give the states of nebraska and kansas the ability to decide themselves whether or not they wanted to have slavery within their borders. it repealed the missouri compromise of 1820.
  • dred scott case

    this case decided that even though dred scott (a slave) moved north, in a free state, he was still not entitled to freedom and did not have the ability to sue in federal court.
  • raid on harpers ferry

    the raid was led by john brown, an abolitionist, as an attempt to spark an armed slave revolt. he attacked the united states arsenal and captured their weapons.