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Missouri Compromise
A compromise was reached on the disagreement of the number of slave and free states, on March 3, 1820. Congress passed a bill that gave Missouri statehood as a slave state, in agreement so slavery was not allowed in the rest of the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36th parallel, running along southern Missouri. This evened out the number of states that are free and slave states to 11 states free to 11 states slave states. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was created in 1846 to eliminate slavery in the land that was won during the Mexican war. A Pennsylvania congressman wanted to ensure that there would be no additional states with slavery, proposed they amend the original treaty signed by Polk to receive the Mexican war. The Wilmot Proviso was blocked by the south, but this only made the north angrier and helped bring about the republican party. -
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was the 12th President of the United States from 1849-1850. Prior to his presidency was a career officer in the United States Army. He was a national hero for his victories. His main concern during his presidency was protecting the union during the time when slavery was being contested. He died suddenly of a stomach illness. -
Millard Filmore
Millard Fillmore was 13th President of the United States from 1850-1853. He became president after current president Zachary Taylor died. Fillmore was his Vice President. He was the last member of the Whig Party to be in the White House. He had a big part of the Compromise of 1850, which was a short truce in the fight over slavery. He was not re-elected. -
Compromise of 1850
Senator Henry Clay created a “resolution” on January 29, 1850, trying to compromise and steer away from the problems between the North and the South. California had just became a free state, and the south was not happy because it went against the Missouri compromise, so in return, the Utah and New Mexico territories were allowed to vote for the right to own slaves. Also, to pay back the south the Fugitive Slave Act was put in place, but also it was made illegal to trade slaves in Washington DC. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave-holding interests and Northern Free Soldiers. This law made it legal to capture escaped slaves in the north, but many times southerners would take free black men who were not escaped slaves. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe, she wanted to show people that slavery was bad. It illustrated the horrible treatment of slaves. People from the North were horrified at such treatment, but the people in the south were insulted. -
Franklin Pierce
Pierce was in office from 1853-1857, unfortunately, two weeks before his inauguration, there was a train wreck that he and his family were on, and his son died. After that, he was deeply depressed, and may have been a better president if there had not been an accident. He signed the Kansas- Nebraska act which deeply enraged the North, since he was a northerner himself. It also gave his political party, the democrats, a bad name. -
Creation of the Republican Party
On March 20, 1854 the members of the whig party that were against slavery, started meeting to form a new party in Missouri. They came to the conclusion of the republican party on July 6, 1854 in Jackson Michigan. John C. Fremont was the party's first presidential candidate. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act was an act that was passed by the U.S. Congress on May 30, 1854. It allowed people in Kansas and Nebraska to decide if they should allow slavery in the state. This act went against the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which did not allow slavery north of latitude 36°30´. -
Sumner Caning
Charles Sumner was a republican, who, during a speech denounced slavery, and humiliated a South Carolina senator, Andrew Butler, who was a slaveholder. The next day another congressman, Preston Brooks of South Carolina as well, beat Sumner with a cane. This split the North and South even more on May 22, 1856. -
James Buchanan
Buchanan was the 15th president who served from 1857-1861. Prior to his presidency, he was a lawyer, a congressman, and secretary of state.Though he had a lot of political background, he was not the best president. He was in office during the Dred Scott case, and after the supreme court ruled that if you had slaves they were your property, and therefore you could bring them anywhere in the US, he said the Courts were the law, even though he,himself, did not believe in the practice of slavery. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave who lived with his owner in a free state for a while before going back to Missouri. He felt that since they were in a free state, he should be free. He went to court, and it went all the way to the supreme court. The supreme court ruled that because he was black and was property, he could not be able to become a citizen. -
Lincoln Douglass Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas debate included the series of seven debate in 1858 between the two men. Stephen Douglas was a democrat who believed in slavery, and the Lincoln did not agree with him. They debated about many things. This would affect Lincoln later during his time running for the presidency in 1860. -
Harpers Ferry
On October 16-18, 1859, John Brown raided Harpers Ferry. He was anti-slavery and he was trying to steal weapons from the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He wanted to use the weapons for a potential slave revolt and to help end slavery. Robert E. Lee defeated John Brown and his group. -
Lincoln Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United states, that, at the time were not very united. The south was very against him because they had heard about the previous Lincoln Douglas debates, and they were afraid he would take their slaves away. He won by only 40 percent of the popular vote. -
Southern Secessions
It was the series of southern states seceding from the nation from December 20,1860 to June 8,1861.The south was very upset about the election of Lincoln, thinking that the capitol would be against them with Lincoln in office, so they decided to break away and form their own Confederate states of america.Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,Florida, South Carolina,North Carolina,Virginia,Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia, Kentucky and Missouri succeeded.
