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Compromise of 1850
This was a set of 5 separate bills that compromised on the issue of slavery, the most notable being the more stringent fugitive slave law. -
Fugitive Slave Law
This law required anyone that had contact with a runaway slave to return them to their rightful owner. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
This was an anti-slavery novel, designed to incite strong emotions against African-American stereotypes and slavery. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act admitted Kansas and Nebraska as territiories, and allowed popular sovereignty to determine the status of slavery in them. -
Birth of Republican Party
The Republican Party was founded on the principles of being anti-slavery, small govenrnment, and general freedom for all. -
Brooks Attacks Sumner in Senate
Preston Brooks viewed Charles Sumner's "Crime Against Kansas" speech as libel, and beat him with a cane for it. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford Decision
Supreme Court ruling in which it was determined that African-Americans weren't considered citizens. Dred Scott, a slave, was taken to free territory and sued for his freedom. This prompted the above decision. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown attempted to stage a slave uprising in order to capture a Federal Armory. It failed, and Brown was both tried and executed. -
Election of 1860
Election where Abraham Lincoln won, crucial in determining whether or not Southern States would secede. -
Shots Fired at Fort Sumter
After South Carolina seceded, the demanded that all Union soldiers leave. The soldiers at Fort Sumter refused, and tried to hold their position against a Confederate seige. They eventually surrendered, but there were no casualties on either side.
