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Mar 6, 1057
The Dred Scott Decision
A slave who lived in a free state was not entitled to his freedom. African Americans could not be American citizens. This was found to be unconstitutional and the decision of letting them be citizens made the south angry. -
The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a way to get Missouri a state without upsetting the balance between slave and free states. This upset people because no matter what they did it would mess up the balance between free states and slave states. -
The End of the Mexican American War
The Mexican American War ended with a treaty in favor of America and they gained more land. But Gaining more land caused problems like how to make the new land into states and more importantly which states would be free and which ones would be slave states. This caused problems because the slave to free states ratio had to stay even. -
The Fugitive Slave Law is Passed
The Fugitive Slave Law said that any escaped slaves that were caught had to be returned to its owner. This was bad for the abolitionists because this meant that slaves could not be safe in the north. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act made it so the people who lived in Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves if they wanted to be a free or a slave state. This caused problems because some people wanted it to be a free state, while others wanted it to be a slave state. This brought up a lot of arguments and fighting. -
Brooks Attacks Sumner
Brooks attacked Charles Sumner with a cane because Charles gave a speech 2 days before that criticized slave owners. This act outraged northerners and made them angry towards the south. -
Lecompton Constitution Rejected
The Lecompton Constitution Rejected was the second constitution drafted for Kansas and it was written by pro slavery supporters. It permitted slavery and excluded free blacks from living in the state. It also only allowed male citizens to vote. -
John Brown raids Harper’s Ferry
John Brown gathered people and raided Harper's Ferry to try to start an armed slave revolt. They were defeated by the U.S. Marines. This in itself was a conflict and it made people mad at the abolitionists for attacking. -
The Election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was against slavery so when he was elected, this made the south states angry because they knew he would try to get rid of slavery. The south states wanted to secede from the union but President lincoln didn't want them and wouldn't let them. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery book. Since it was against slavery the southerners didn't like it because it made them look bad.
