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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an attempt to balance states for poitical reasons. Henry Clay, the Great Compromiser, states that Missouri will become a slave state, and Maine will be renamed as a free state. The compromise also states that any state above the 36th parallel will become a free state, and below it will become a slave state. While the north isn't as happy or satisfied as the south is, sense they technically didn't gain any new land, the south are happy because they got new land. -
Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot proposed the Wilmot Proviso, which was the idea to push the ban on slavery in the Northern states. The north thought we'd been successful without slavery. They wanted to end it. The south was forced to defend their stand on slavery. The south had always gone with slavery, and they wanted to keep it that way. The went with the social ladder system and stated it worked differently in the south. Nevertheless, it was an uncomfortable topic to address. -
Zachary Taylor
Zachary Taylor was a military hero and son of a platier farmer and had no political experience whatsoever. However, he was concerned about the stabability of the Union, and stood for the north. He had no interest in expanding slavery to the west, and tried to stop the spread of slavery. He was a Nationalist and wanted California to become a free state. He was also against the Compromise of 1850. During his term, South Carolina threatened to seceed from the Union. -
Compromise of 1850
Both the north and the south wanted California as their respective free/slave states, so Henry Clay compromised that California would become a free state, and the Utah and New Mexico Territory would be decided by popular sovereignty. While the south intially wasn't happy, they sought out Utah and New Mexico and wanted them to become slave states, as there was good plantation land. Slave trade was also abolished in Washington DC, and both sides didn't like it. -
Millard Fillmore
Millard Fillmore was the vice president of Zachary Taylor, and was a not well-educated northerner part of the whig party. Fillmore had conflicting ideas with Taylor, and upon becoming president, he fired all of Taylor's cabinet. He supported the Compromise of 1850, as he was the one who actually signed it. Later during his term, he became obsessed with the Fugitive Slave Act and emphasized on compromise. The north and south weren't happy, and he lost his party's nomination for the next term. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act made it so slave housing was not allowed, and there would be major punishments for those caught. It was illegal to assist or hide runaway slaves. Black men and women must have papers in the north to prove they are free. This was also nicknamed the Bloodhound Law. The north was infuriated, and this act clearly favored the south. Due to this act, free blacks were taken or kidnapped all the time. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book was written to describe slave treatment, and exposed the reality of slavery. This book became a must-read novel. The north was horrified, and felt they had to do something (Humanity can be saved through Christianity). The south, on the other hand, felt insulted and misrepresented. The book gets banned in the south. -
Franklin Pierce
Franklin Pierce was a northern democrat and a former representative of New Hampshire. His son's death impacted his presidency greatly. Pierce doomed his presidency when he signed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. He was hated by the north, and contempt to the south for lack of enough support. He inflamed the conflict between the north and the south on the issue of slavery. He supported owning slaves, and let slavery expand west. He also lost his party's nomination for his next term. -
Creation of the Republican Party
The Republican Party was founded by an anti-slavery activist in 1854 as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Most northerners and anti-slaves are part of the Republican Party.The name was selected to honor Thomas Jefferson. Abraham Lincoln would also become the first Repulican president in 1860. The south were concerned about this party, and no one in the south would vote for Lincoln, because no one wanted him to becom the president. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act was the result of Stephen Douglas wanting the Transcontiental Railroad through Chicago. The compromise decided that Kansas and Nebraska would be decided as a free or slave state through popular sovereignty. The north wanted people down there, but the south intimidated them with border raids. A man called John Brown defends settlers from border raids, and fights against slavery. War begins when a pro-slavery settler is shot. The south favored the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The north hate it. -
Sumner Caning
The Sumner Caning was a result of Charles Sumner, a senator, verbally assaulting a senior member of the house and criticizing the south for their treatment with slaves. This later lead to the near-death beating with a cane from Preston Brooks, a representative. The north was horrified by Preston Brook's actions, as he didn't act like a gentleman. In the south, Preston is celebrated for defending the south, and receives many canes as gifts. -
James Buchanan
James Buchanan was a democrat from Pennsylvania and a former Secretary of State. He was seen by many as a dull politician, and Andrew Jackson couldn't stand him. He is seen by many as the worst president in history in the United States of America due to his passiveness and neglect to do anything about the issue of slavery. He sympathized with the south, and believed they had rights to slavery, but failed to prevent the Union from falling apart. -
Dred Scott Case
The owner of Dred Scott has moved to the Northern Territories, so Dred Scott sues his owner sense slavery is banned in the north. However, he wasn't able to win his case in court due to a 7-2 ruling stating that he was still technically property. The north is angry, and rules that the Missouri Compromise is unconstitutional. The south looks at this as an oppurtunity, as others can't take away your property, and slaves are property. They now expand north because the acts have been nullified. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
This was a series of several debates between Lincoln and Douglas. These debates mainly focused on the issues of slave expansion into the territories. An arguement that Lincoln made in his House Divided Speech was that Douglas was part of a conspiracy to nationalize slavery. The north supported Lincoln, and the south took notice to Lincoln's speeches. -
Harpers Ferry
This is the location in which John Brown lead a small group of followers to raid the arsenal and capture the weapons. He expected the abolitionists and slaves to join him and have an uprising. However, he was trapped and captured by Marines-Col. Robert E. Lee. He was later tried and hung for treason. John Brown is seen as a hero or martyr in the north. The south view him -
Lincoln's Election of 1860
In 1860, Lincoln became the first Republican president ever to be elected. Lincoln only won 40% of the popular vote, but still won over his other three candidates, John C. Breckenridge, John Bell, and Stephen Douglas. By the time of his inauguration, March 4, 1861, seven states had seceeded from the Union. -
Southern Secession
On this date, South Carolina became the first state to seceed from the Union, due to Lincoln's victorious election. The states who would also seceed are as follows (not in any particular order): Alabama, Arkansas, Tennesse, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Louisiana, and Virginia. They would then form their own "country," or Confederacy.
