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Article VI of the 1787 Northwest Ordinance
This ordinance banned slavery North and West of the Ohio River. This gave the anti slave people hope as they thought that the founders wanted and intended slavery to die out. However the founders intentions were not spelled out clearly so the anti slavery and slavery groups would have spiteful debates. This would cause tension between the North and South as the north wanted no slaves and the south wanted more. -
Cotton Gin
There was a fast growth of slavery once the cotton gin was invented. Plantation owners needed more slaves because they could process more cotton and make more money. The north wanted to end slavery so when the south started having more slaves this would cause tension between the two. -
The Louisiana Purchase
The Louisiana Purchase doubled the land of the United States. All this new land raised concern if the new states would be free or have slaves. This would cause tension between the north and south as each would want different results. -
Black Laws
The purpose of "black laws" was to keep African Americans from voting, attending public schools and from serving on juries and local militias. The laws wanted to keep blacks from immigrating to the west. Keeping African Americans from being completely free would be a cause of tension between the north and south. -
The Missouri Compromise
This was intended to keep the balance of power in congress between the states that had slaves and the states that did not. It allowed Missouri to be a slave state and Maine to be a non slave state. Missouri's southern border would be the new line that divided slavery and freedom. There were debates for weeks about if the constitution intended to support slavery or that it intended for slavery to die out. This caused tensions between the North and South. -
Missouri's admission to the Union
Missouri was admitted as a slave state. Another tension with the north. -
Rebellion led by Denmark Vesey
This was a revolt by African Americans for them to be treated better. Religious leaders also showed their unhappiness about the new ways which caused bigger political differences. -
Liberty Party established
They demanded the to end slavery in the District of Columbia, and that interstate slave trade be stopped while also insisting the expansion of slavery in the west to be banned. This would cause tensions with the people who were pro slaves in the South. -
Supreme Court Case PRIGG VS PENNSYLVANIA
The ruling on this case stated that the Federal Slave Act over ranked the Pennsylvania's personal liberty law. The anti slave activist believed the federal government was only acting in the best interest of the slave states and were taking away the rights of the states in the north. This caused tension between the North and South. -
Texas and Florida entered the Union as Slave states
Anti slavery people took Texas and Florida entering the Union as Slave states as a "irredeemable turn." This caused tensions between the North and South -
Free Soil Party was established
The anti slavery activist were hoping this would be a new and improved more competitive anti-slavery party. They were hoping to beat the Democratic pro slavery candidate. They did not get close to winning the Presidential election but they won seats in the house and senate giving them some power. This was an anti slavery party so it would cause tension between the North and South. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This treaty ended the war between Mexico and the United States which enlarged the United States territory by one third. This made the anti-slavery activist angry because they saw this as a way for slavery to grow and expand. This caused tensions between pro slavery and anti-slavery groups. -
Seneca Falls Women's rights movement
This launched the women's suffrage movement so that women would have the right to vote. It was led by abolitionist like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Frederick Douglass was also in attendance. This would cause tensions between the North and South because the South like things how they were and the North wanted to expand and get better which would include bettering women's rights. -
Beginning of Republican Party
An anti-slavery coalition arose and they called themselves the Republican Party causing tensions between the pro slavery groups and themselves. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise made the sectional tensions worse. It gave citizens the ability to be deputized by the Federal Government to arrest runaway slaves. It gave the New Mexico and Utah territories the rights to choose if they wanted to be slave or non slave states. It also stated that the Supreme Court could get suits from the territories regarding the status of fugitive slaves. This pitted pro slaves against anti slaves which would cause tension. -
Fugitive Slave Law
The 1850 Fugitive Slave Law made the original Fugitive Slave Law of 1793 stronger. This law pushed citizens to take a stance one way or the other on how they stood in regards to slavery. It forced citizens to capture slave runaways even if they were in free states. This law would make huge tensions between the north and south because the north wanted no slaves and did not want to participate in returning them to slavery. -
Uncle Toms Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Toms Cabin which was an anti slavery book and it became a bestseller. The book gave very deep detail of how bad racism was in the American Society. This book got people in the North talking more about anti slavery. This would cause tension between the North and South as the South was pro slavery. -
Kansas-Nebraska Bill
A plan was presented to take part of the Nebraska territory and make it into a new territory called the Kansas Territory. This cause major divide and protest because people thought it was a way to overturn the Missouri Compromise and allow this territory to be slave territory. Local elections would determine if Kansas would be a free or slave state. This would cause tensions between the north and south as they had different views on free and slave states. -
New England Emigrant Aid Society
This was a radicalized organization that found pioneers that would go to Kansas and make the territory antislavery by popular sovereignty. The pioneers were given guns and other goods to make this happen. This would have made tensions between the North and South as the south would want Kansas to be a enslaved territory. -
Anthony Burns
When word got around that Anthony Burns had been jailed a bunch of people went to the courthouse and demanded his release. A US Deputy Marshall was killed.The government spent $40000 to re enslave Burns because they had to send troops into Boston. The anger of Bostonian's grew. This would cause tension between the North and South because the northerners did not want to have anything to do with returning free people to slavery. -
Bloody Kansas
Bloody Kansas was violent altercations in Kansas over the rights of slavery. The fights were between pro slavery and anti slavery groups. This would cause tension between north and south because they disagreed about slavery. -
Scott vs. Sandford
The Dred Scott Decision stated citizenship was not allowed for black Americans. It stated that Scott who was a slave would not be allowed to sue in the US Courts.This gave the President and his slavery allies the denial of the Missouri Compromise. This showed to the anti slavery groups that the government was devoted to expanding slavery. Northerners would be mad at the government for allowing slavery to spread and keep free men from becoming citizens causing tension with the south. -
Utah Mormon Communities
Wanting to subdue Mormon communities the President sent US troops to Utah. Buchanan's own party accused him for abusing his powers. This just caused more furry and people to be against the federal government. This caused tension between the north, south and everyone as people started not trusting the government. -
The anti-slavery Republican Party won the Presidential Election
The Republican party won by wanting slavery to only be were it already was and not expanding to other areas. The south did not like that the Federal Government was stopping the growth of slavery. Abraham Lincoln did not get a single southern state electoral vote.This caused tension north and south as the south wanted slavery to expand. -
Culmination of the Secession Crisis
Southern states started secession conventions and South Carolina seceded stating "Declaration of immediate Causes" because the lack of enforcement of the Fugitive slave act. Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana and Texas also seceded. They named their own President but Lincoln acted in accordance with his duties and constitutional authority that he had as the elected Commander and Chief. This caused tensions between the north and south.