-
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed in 1820 between the pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States Congress, involving primarily the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30' north except within the boundaries of the proposed state of Missouri -
Tariff and Controversy
Abomination tariff of 1828 and tariff of 1832 were passed in order to promote stimulation of northern states' economy. But these tariffs caused disunity in the United States. Southern states came up with a theory of nullification by John C.Calhoun pretending that states has the sovereignty and that states made up the federal government, so that the states has the last word to declare tariffs null and void. But they found Andrew Jackson as an opposing figure who tried to increase American economy -
Tariff Compromise of 1833
The Tariff of 1833was proposed by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun as a resolution to the Nullification Crisis. It was adopted to gradually reduce the rates after southerners objected to the protectionism found in the Tariff of 1832 and the 1828 Tariff of Abominations, which had prompted South Carolina to threaten secession from the Union. This Act stipulated that import taxes would gradually be cut over the next decade until, by 1842, they matched the levels set in the Tariff of 1816—an average o -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso would have banned slavery in any territory to be acquired from Mexico in the Mexican War or in the future, including the area later known as the Mexican Cession, but which some proponents construed to also include the disputed lands in south Texas and New Mexico east of the Rio Grande.
Congressman David Wilmot first introduced the Proviso in the United States House of Representatives on August 8, 1846. -
California applies for statehood
The admission of California into the Union was settled by the Compromise of 1850 whereby the status of the rest of the territory acquired from the Mexican-American War was to be determined by popular sovereignty. The compromise was needed because of turmoil in Congress due to unbalance of slave and free states. -
Compromise of 1850
According to the compromise, Texas wouldgive up the land in dispute but, in compensation, be given 10 million dollars -- money it would use to pay off its debt to Mexico. Also, New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah would be organized without mention of slavery. Regarding Washington, the slave trade would be abolished in the District of Columbia, although slavery would still be permitted. Finally, California would be admitted as a free state. The Fugitive Slave Act was passed -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War". Stowe focused the novel on the character of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of other characters—both fellow slaves and slave owners—revolve. The novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as enslavement of fellow human beings. -
Kansas- Nebraka Act
-
Ostend Manifesto
The Ostend Manifesto was a document written in 1854 that described the rationale for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain and implied the U.S. should declare war if Spain refused. Cuba's annexation had long been a goal of U.S. expansionists, particularly as the U.S. set its sights southward following the admission of California to the Union. However, diplomatically, the country had been content to see the island remain in Spanish hands so long as it did not pass to a stronger power. -
Dred Scott decision
Dred Scott v. Sandford was a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that people of African descent imported into the United States and held as slaves were not protected by the Constitution and could never be U.S. citizens.The court also held that the U.S. Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories and that, because slaves were not citizens, they could not sue in court. -
Lincoln-Douglas debates
The debates between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln were held during the 1858 campaign for a US Senate seat from Illinois. The debates were held at 7 sites throughout Illinois, one in each of the 7 Congressional Districts. Although Lincoln would lose the Senate race in 1858, he would beat Douglas out in the 1860 race for the US Presidency. -
John Brown's Raid
It was an attempt by white abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave revolt by seizing a United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia in 1859. Brown's raid was defeated by a detachment of U.S. Marines led by Col. Robert E. Lee. Brown was taken to the court house in nearby Charles Town for trial where he was found guilty of treason against the commonwealth of Virginia and was hanged on December 2. -
Election of Lincoln
The nation had been divided throughout most of the 1850s on questions of states' rights and slavery in the territories. In 1860, this issue finally came to a head, with the formerly dominant Democratic Party into Southern and Northern factions and bringing Abraham Lincoln and the Republican Party to power without the support of a single Southern state. Hardly more than a month following Lincoln's victory came declarations of secession by South Carolina and other states. Thus the civil war began. -
Secession and Ft. Sumter
Upon the election of Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina decided to secceed from the Union. This was followed up by the seccession of many other southern states. These states eventually formed the Confederate States of America. The Civil War soon broke out with the first firing at Fort Sumter, a Union fort located in South Carolina. Although there were no casulaties, the fort eventually fell to the Confederates, and the Civil War had begun. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on Janurary 1, 1863. This proclamation was suppose to free all slaves in the rebeeling areas of the U.S. Although it did not immediately free any slaves, it was a huge step towards the end of slavery in the U.S. 3.1 million of the 4 million of the slaves were legally free to go, and many took it upon themselves to gain this freedom. Some fought for the Union in the war. Total abolition of slavery was finalized by the Thirteenth Amendment. -
Appomattox Courthouse
The Battle at Appomattox Courthouser was the final engagement between Lee and Grant's armies. Grant's troops cut off Lee's retreat, and Lee launched a final unsuccessful attack. Soon negaotiatons for surrender were being made at the Appomattox Courthouse. Lee eventually agreed to surrender all of his troops, and this brought the eventual end of the Civil War. Despite the enormous consequences of this battle, there were very few casualties on both sides. -
Assassination of Abraham Lincoln
When Abraham Lincoln was visiting the Ford's Theatre to see Our American Cousin. He was shot in the head at point blank range by John Wilkes Booth. Booth then fled by jumping from the balcony, breaking his leg, and yelling Sic semper tyrannis. Lincoln died the next day despite the best efforts by a young surgeon. Booth was eventually shot and killed, and many others were hung for their rule in aiding Booth. -
Impeachment of Johnson
The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson was one of the most dramatic events in the political life of the United States during Reconstruction, and the first impeachment in history of a sitting United States president. Johnson was impeached for breaking the Tenure of Office Act. The House of Representatives agreed to impeach Johnson, but Johnson escaped conviction from the Senate by one vote. However, Congress gained a more prominent rule in Reconstruction, and Johnson's presidency was weakened. -
Reconstruction Ends
The election of 1877 was very close, and disputes on the votes of certain states brought about the Compromise of 1877. Military rule was lifted in the South and Republican presidential candidate was given the White House. Twelve years of Reconstruction had ended, and the Deomocratic Redeeemers gained power in the South. The South had been brought back into the Union, but many problems had to be solved, including civil rights.
