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Invention of the Cotton Gin
The Cotton Gin was an invention that separated cotton fibers from their seeds. This had sped up the production of cotton and also increased the demand for slaves. This is because of the fact that cotton was a cashcrop, and with more slaves, more cotton could be produced and harvested. The invention was a contributing factor to the Civil War. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 and it was between the anti-slavery and pro-slavery factions of the US Congress. It was able the regulation of slavery in the western territories. It basically prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory that is north of the parallel 36°. However, Missouri was permitted despite being above the line. -
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave
An autobiography written by the former slave, Frederick Douglass, it was published in 1845. It tells the story of Douglass's life, from how he was born a slave and became a free man. The book has themes of slavery and freedom, education and ignorance. It is considered to be on of the most influential pieces of literature. -
Free-Soil Party
It was a short lived political party that was active in 1884 through 1854. They were part of the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections. The party consisted of anti-slavery members of the Whig and Democratic Party. It was because of them that the topic of slavery was addressed by the Whig and Democratic party, since the topic was easily avoided. -
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Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad (or "Upperground Railroad" called by Frederick Douglass) was a network of secret routes that lead slaves from the South to North. The term can be applied to the abolitionists, both of color and whtie, and free and enslaved, that aided the fugitives. There was an estimation that at least a hundred-thousand slaves as escaped by the "Railroad". Harriet Tubman was a liberated black woman that would operate the Railroad and to help the slaves. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 composed of five bills that was passed in the US during September 1850. It was a Compromise between the Northern and Southern states since the representation of free and slavery states have been in a dangerous balance. The whole problem was caused when Californa asked to be a free state, and the Southern states worried that it would cause more representation for the free states. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act allowed all escaped slaves in the North to be captured and sold back as slaves. However, being a free man does not guarantee safety, for all colored people are under danger. This law however is not strongely enforced in the Northern states. Yet due to the Compromise of 1850, it is heavily enforced in Californa. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life AMong the Lowly is an anti-slavery novel written by a woman known as Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was published in 1852. It is believed that it helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War. The book also appeals greatly more for women due to the author's gender, but nonetheless a great book. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 that basically established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing the opening of new lands for settlement. It also repealed the Missouri Compromise by allowing the white male settlers to determine if the state would be free or slavery based on popular sovereignty. This caused an influx of pro-slavery and anti-slavery people to make Kansas slavery or free. This obviously lead to the bloody war known as Bleeding Kansas. -
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Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent confrontations between the anti-slavery supporters and the pro-slavery supporters. It lasted from 1854 to 1861. The main conflict was about if Kansas was to be a free state or a slave state. The name was coined by Horace Greeley of the New York Tribune. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
The Dred Scott v. Sandford was issued on March 6, 1857 where a once free man, Dred Scott, sued the slave captors. Howver, the Supreme Court decided that the slaves were not citizens of the United States and thus cannot sue in Federal courts. In addition, it also declared at the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and that Congress never had authority to prohibit slavery in the territories. It was overturned by the 13th and 14th amendments later on. -
The Election of 1860
The Presidental Election of 1860 was between Abrabam Lincoln, John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen A. Douglas. The election mostly revolved around the position of slavery, and when Abraham Lincoln was elected, the Southern States could take it no more. Before Lincoln's Inauguration, the Southern states declared their secession and formed the Confederacy latter. This was a turning point in the United States for the Civil War would follow very shortly. -
The Beginning of the Civil War
The American Civil War was fought from 1861 to 1865. The Southern States has seceeded from the Union and thus, the Northern States (known as the Union) is fighting to preserve the Union. The final 'straw that broke the camel's back' was when Abraham Lincoln was elected as President. However, later on in the war, the main conflict shifted also towards the decision of slavery.
