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Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance was a law passed in 1787 that gave a government to the Northwest. The Northwest ordinance was important because it set the precedent for the addition of new states to the United States. -
Three Fifths Compromise
The Three Fifths Compromise was a law stating that an enslaved person was worth Three Fifths of a free person. The law was important because it gave the south more control over the government and it started the de-humanization of slaves which would make some northerners not consider them as human therefore make it harder for it to be abolished. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1793
The Fugitive Slave act was a law that made it so that runaway slaves could be captured, jailed or sent back to their masters. The act was important because it made it so it was harder for slaves to escape to freedom. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
The Cotton gin was a machine that revolutionized the production of cotton because it made it so it was way easier to separate the seeds from the lint. The Cotton Gin was important because it made it so cotton which was grown in the south was in higher demand which lead to a rise in slavery. -
Ban on Slave Imports
The ban on slave imports went into affect on January 1st, 1808 and it prohibited people being kidnapped into slavery from another place. This was important because it made it so no more people were taken from their home but it made it worse for slaves already in the United states because it made it so their children would be born into slavery. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a law that states that news states north of the 36, 30 parallel. The Missouri compromise was important because it made Missouri a slave state and determined the slave and free states for 34 years. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's rebellion was a slave revolt where a preacher(Nat Turner) used his charisma to rally his fellow slaves to take up arms against the whites and they ended up killing over 60 white people. Nat Turner's Rebellion was important because it made the slave owner more cautious and cruel and it led to hundreds of slaves getting killed. -
South Carolina Nullification Crisis
The South Carolina Nullification Crisis was when South Carolina opposed some tariffs so they tried not to pay but it didn't work so they threatened to secede but Andrew Jackson said F around and find out and squashed their actions, The South Carolina Nullification Crisis was important because it brought thoughts of secession to the south. -
Underground Railroad
The Underground railroad was a series of paths that escaped slaves could take to get to the north helped by people along the paths. The Underground Railroad was important because it helped a bunch of slaves escape to freedom. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a proposition that all land gained from Mexican-American war would be free states. The Wilmot Proviso was important because it brought thoughts of abolition to the union. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was the treaty that was signed to end the Mexican-American War and it gave the United States, California, Utah, and New Mexico territories. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was important because it gave all that land to the US and brought to the question about how to handle slavery in said territories. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of laws addressing the aftermath of the Mexican-American war including California being admitted as a state and border disputes between Texas and New Mexico. The Compromise of 1850 was important because it made California a free state but it did include a more strict fugitive slave act. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and it was trying to bring attention to how evil slavery actually was. Uncle Tom's Cabin was important because it brought awareness to how bad slavery was. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and made two different territories which voted for slavery or not by popular sovereignty. The Kansas-Nebraska was important because it stopped the Missouri compromise and made it easier for states to be free states. -
Bleeding Kansas
"Bleeding Kansas" was a series of violent confrontations between abolitionists and pro-slavery southerners who came to Kansas to vote for it to be a slave state. Bleeding Kansas was important because it was a major catalyst for the Civil War because it started fights. -
Charles Sumner Attacked
In the senate chamber in 1856 Senator Charles Sumner was talking about how slavery should be abolished and representative Preston Brooks got so mad he ran up to Sumner and beat him with his cane. This event was important because it showed that the south was very violent. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision was a claim that a slave named Dred Scott whose master had brought him into free states should be free, but they overruled the case because they said that Dred Scott was property and could not file a lawsuit. The Dred Scott decision was important because it caused divides in the United States. -
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry was when John Brown and 20 other men including his 5 sons raided the Harper's Ferry arsenal to get guns for a slave rebellion, it did not work. The raid was important because the event was a major catalyst for the war. -
Lincoln's Election
Lincoln's election is where Abraham Lincoln one of four republican candidates won the election without winning a single sate in the south. The election was important because some states of the south said they would secede if Lincoln won and they did. -
South Carolina secedes from the Union.
South Carolina seceded from the United States of America. South Carolina seceding was important because it started a chain of secession.