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Invention of the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin to make processing cotton easy and profitable. Before this invention, processing cotton was labor intensive and yeilded little product. Unfortunately, this invention also increased slavery across the South. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise regulated slavery in the Western territories by banning it everywhere except Missouri. This led to the creation of the Republican party. -
Tariff of 1828 and Nullification Crisis
The Tariff of 1828 was passed to protect northern industry by taxing imported goods. The southern states weren't happy about it, and they fought to get it nullified. -
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The Liberator is Published
The Liberator is a abolitionist newspaper created by William Lloyd Garrison and Isaac Knapp. It has an uncompromising view of slavery and it faced harsh resistance from several legislatures and social groups. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's Rebellion was a slave rebellion that took place in Southampton County, Virginia. Rebel slaves killed anywhere from 55 to 65 people, the highest number of fatalities caused by any slave uprising in the Southern United States. It was put down within a few days, but it caused widespread fear in the South. Laws were passed to prevent the education of slaves and free black people. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It features a slave named Uncle Tom and depicts the realities of slavery while saying that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as slavery. In recent years, its stereotyping of black people has somewhat overshadowed its historical importance. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and repealed the Missouri compromise of 1820. White male settlers could now detirmine through poplular sovereignity if slavery was allowed within each territory. This act soon lead to Bleeding Kansas. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott decision was a U.S. Supreme Court case that decided that any blacks, whether enslaved or free, could not be American citizens. -
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Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series a seven debates that took place before the 1860 presidential election. Slavery was a big issue that was debated. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown's raid was an attempt by a white abolitionist named John Brown to start a slave rovolt by seizing a United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry. -
Election of 1860
The presidential election of 1860 was the 19th presidential election. The Republican, Abraham Lincoln, won against the Democrat Stephen Douglas. -
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Secession of Southern States
Eleven states declared secession and became the Confederate States of America.
