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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was written by Henry Clay in 1820. There had been a balance between slave states and non-slave states, until Missouri applied for statehood, wanting to become a slave state. This made northerners unhappy, as they felt it would be unfair to them. So, Maine was added to the Union as well, to be a non-slave state. This kept the balance between the states,and made people content for the time being. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was written by David Wilmot in 1846. It was made to negotiate final terms for the Mexican-American War. It stated that slavery would be banned in territory earned from the war. This sparked a big debate, and was eventually rejected by Congress. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a sequence of proposals made by Senator Henry Clay. These were used to try to end the argument about slavery by giving to the north and to the south. California was to be admitted as a free state. Citizens of New Mexico and Utah would get to decide on slavery using popular sovereignty. The slave trade would be ended in Washington D.C. Congress would pass a strict new fugitive slave law, and Texas would give up its claims to New Mexico in return for $10 million. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act allowed officials to arrest anyone they suspect could be an escaped slave. This also affected free blacks living in the north who were accused of being runaway slaves. All suspects had no right to a trial. Many northerners (specifically those who were abolitionists) were upset. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe. It is the story of an enslaved man who faces his cruel and awful slave owner. This book revealed to many people all around the country the true horrors of slavery and how they were really being treated. This upset many northerners. However, many southerners claimed that the book was propaganda and that slaves were not really treated this way. -
Kansas Nebraska Act / Bleeding Kansas
The Kansas Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide using popular sovereignty whether or not they wanted to allow slavery in their area. Many people moved to Kansas so they could vote on the issue. However, there were many disagreements and violence broke out. -
Dred Scott Case
When an enslaved man, Dred Scott's owner passed away, he decided to sue for the freedom of himself and his wife. His argument was that he was residing in a non-slave state. The Court ruled against him, deciding that he was not eligible for his freedom because he was not considered a citizen due to the fact that he was black. This revealed to the country that no matter who or where an African-American was, they would always be treated as an inferior. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
In 1858, both Lincoln and Douglas were running for the position of the U.S senator from Illinois. Lincoln (the Republican candidate) and Douglas (the Democratic candidate) travel all around the state giving speech and having debates. They both had very different opinions and frequently argued during debates. Lincoln was against slavery while Douglas was for it, which caused the topic to be the main point of discussion during these debates. -
John Brown's Raid
Extreme abolitionist John Brown led a raid against a United States arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in hope of making a difference against slavery. He was captured, accused of murder and treason, and hanged for punishment. He said his final words, and then handed them, written on a slip of paper, to someone there before he was killed by hanging. -
Lincoln's Election of 1860
Lincoln (Republican), Bell (Constitutional Union), Breckinridge (Southern Democrat) and Douglas (Northern Democrat) were the four candidates for the election of 1860. Abraham Lincoln managed to win the election with only 40% of the overall vote, because the Democrats were split into two separate parties. He was also able to win the vote in every single Republican state. -
Southern Secession
The southern states broke off from the union to form the Confederate States. The president of the Confederate states was Jefferson Davis. South Carolina was the first to secede. This state had threatened to leave the union before, but this was the first time they actually went through with it. The first sign of war was at Fort Sumter, when the Confederates fired on the Union.
