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The Missouri Compromise
On March 3, 1820, congress passed Henry Clay’s Missouri Compromise. Maine was admitted as a free state, while Missouri was admitted as a slave state. Also, all land north of the Missouri Compromise line was not allowed to own slaves. The compromise temporarily solved The conflict between the north and south. Missouri and Maine were both admitted as states on the same day, so neither side ever had more states than the other, keeping congress balanced between free and slave. -
Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot came up with the idea to make slavery illegal in all of the territory earned in the Mexican American war. Wilmot feared the spread of slavery. He introduced the bill to congress on August 8, 1846. It became known as the Wilmot Proviso. The bill was not passed. The idea, however, helped further divide the north and south. -
Compromise of 1850
On January 29, 1850, the Compromise of 1850 was written. The compromise was meant to keep the U.S. unified. The compromise would admit California as a free state. Utah and New Mexico would decide on slavery by voting, slave trade would end in the capital, the fugitive slave law would pass, and Texas would forfeit its rights to New Mexico for $10 million. This meant that the north was no longer safe for escaped slaves. The compromise kept the U.S. unified for a short time, but fell apart. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The fugitive slave act was part of the Compromise of 1850. In exchange for California becoming a free state, the northern territories were required by law to send escaped African Americans back into slavery. Free African Americans could also be sold to slavery. Northerners were outraged by this decision. The north was no longer a safe place for African Americans. In the end, northern states simply refused to enforce the law. This was one of the things that led to the Civil War. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, about a slave and his cruel master. The book was meant to give insight about the horrors of a slave’s life. The book encouraged many northerners to become abolitionists and to fight against slavery. The book was published on March 20, 1852, and created many issues for southerners because they faced even more hatred from the north. The book became so famous that Lincoln told Stowe that she was "The little woman who started the war." -
The Kansas Nebraska Act "Bleeding Kansas"
The Kansas Nebraska act was an act that attempted to deal with the problem of slavery by allowing the states, Kansas and Nebraska, to vote themselves whether or not they were going to be a free or slave state. This act was passed in congress on May 30, 1854. This fueled violence because abolitionists from the north and pro slavery extremists moved to Kansas and Nebraska to have more votes for their side. Eventually fighting broke out in Kansas and the event was nicknamed “Bleeding Kansas.” -
The Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott case began when his master took him into the north, and he believed since he had lived into a free state,he was free. He went to court and tried to sue for his freedom. The case went to the supreme court, but by then, Scott had been sold to a new owner, which made the north and south nervous because the ruling would favor either slave or free states. The chief justice ruled that Dred Scott was not a citizen and had no right to sue, and living in a free state did not make him free. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln Douglas Debates was a series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for a spot in the senate. The debates lasted from August 21, 1858, to October 15, 1858. The debates were very intense with Lincoln and Douglas sharing and promoting their almost opposite points of view. Many citizens became interested in the debates and thousands attended. Although Douglas won, the debates made Lincoln a national figure. The debates helped Lincoln’s election in 1860. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown believed the only solution to slavery was violence. He stated that the Bible told him to attack the south. John Brown led an attack on Harper's Ferry on October 16, 1859. He raided the south’s main weapons arsenal. No slaves showed up. He was put on trial and sentenced to death. During the trial he showed no emotion, and before his execution, he stated that the country will never be rid of slavery. The raid made the south scared and think that the north was going to attack them. -
Lincoln's Election of 1860
Soon after the Lincoln Douglas debates, Lincoln ran for president. He ran against Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge, and John Bell. Breckinridge wanted to spread slavery and Lincoln wanted to stop slavery, while the other two did not take a firm stance on slavery. The election began on November 6, 1860 Lincoln won by a landslide but caused the south to become nervous. The south believed that Lincoln would destroy their way of life and many of them seceded. -
The Secession of the South
The secession of the southern states began with the the results of the election of 1860. Soon after Lincoln was sworn into office, South Carolina seceded from the union on December 20, 1860. After hostilities at Fort Sumter, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee followed South Carolina’s footsteps and seceded from the union. By the time that the civil war began, eleven states, including almost all slave states had seceded from the union and created the Confederate states of America.
