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Missouri Compromose
With the Missouri Compromise, Congress wished to maintain the balance between slave and non-slave states, so they passed the compromise which stated that Missouri would be admitted as a free state, and Maine would be admitted as a slave state and also banned slavery in the Louisina Territory north of the 36º30' latitude line. It was repealed in 1854 by the Kansas-Nebraska Act. It was a cause of the Civil War because it really started to put the North against the South, especially in Congress. -
Texas Becomes a State
Texas was admitted to the Union as a slave state. This greatly threw off the balance between the North and the South. Southernors strongly supported the annexation of Texas because it was sure to be a slave state. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850. The act forced any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave to pay a fine. This caused abolitionists to continue work even harder against slavery and increased the Underground Railroad activity. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 refers to five laws passed in September of 1850 that dealt with slavery. California requested to enter the Union as a free state in 1849. Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions on Janury 29, 1850 that were meant to resolve current issues of slavery between the North and the South. -
Release of Uncle Tom's Cabin
"Uncle Tom's Cabin or Life Among the Lowly" was written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Harriet Beecher Stowe was an abolitionist who wanted to write this book to show how evil slavery really was. The book really changed the way Northernors viewed slavery. It helped the cause of abolition and was a best seller at the time. Abraham Lincoln even expressed his view that the book was a cause of the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott lost his case proving that he should be free in 1857. He was held as a slave while living in a free state. The Court ruled that the petition could not be seen because he didn't hold any property. This caused abolitionists to work harder for slave freedom; -
Lecompton Constitution Rejected
The Lecompton Consitution was the second constitution drafted for Kansas Territory. It was writeen by pro-slavery people. It excluded free blacks from living in Kansas and only allowed males to vote. Residents of Kansas rejected the Lecompton Constitution on the third vote. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown led a raid of seventeen into the arsenal locted in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. He wanted to start a slave uprising using the weapons that they stole. All of the men were either killed or captured, and John Brown was hanged for treason. -
Lincoln Elected
The election of Lincoln caused the secession of Southern states from the Union. South Carolina was the first to secede. Six others joined afterwards. -
First Shot of the Civil War
The first shot of the civil war was shot at 4:30 A.M. on April 12, 1861. It was shot by Captain James. It was fired with a ten-inch mortar. It woke up everyone in Charleston.
