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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise is a law that prohibited slavery at the 36 30 line which made it so that the northern states are free states and the southern states are slave states. -
Wilmot Proviso
A proposed law to ban slavery in the territory that was gained from Mexico in the Mexican War. This was one of the leading events in the civil war. This law forced the southern politicians to defend their stand on slavery. -
Zachary Taylor
Taylor was a farmer and was a large slave owner. He was also a war hero and never voted a day in his life for anything. He was sworn into office as president until 1850. -
Compromise of 1850
The north was happy during this because they were given California as a free state and the south was not happy because the Mexican Cession could vote to be a slave or free state -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was a law that was put in place to capture and run away slaves and return them back to their owner. The north did not like this because the south was taking free black people and slaves and taking away freedom of free people. The south was happy because they got all of their slaves that they own back. -
Millard Fillmore
Fillmore was a well educated, self made man, but he grew up poor. He was from up-state New York. He signed the Compromise of 1850 and made both the north and south mad. this is because he made California a free state and was kidnapping free people from the free states and making them slaves. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel that was published by Harriet Beecher and showed stories of what was like under slavery. The north was horrified by the stories that were told and the south was insulted by the book and felt that it was a misinterpretation of them. -
Franklin Perice
Franklin Pierce was from New Hampshire and he was the son of a war hero. When he was in office, his son died and it sent him into a deep, deep depression which turned him into an alcoholic. That made him a drunk for most of his presidency. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act is an act passed by congress that allowed Kansas and Nebraska to decide for them self's if they were a free or slave state. This act repealed the Compromise of 1820, which made slavery legal past the 36 30 line. -
The Republican Party
The Republican Party started out as a anti-slavery group, but was opposed to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and went well beyond the issue of slavery in territories. The north was very happy that there was a party that was anti-slavery. The south was worried that the north had a party now. -
Sumner Caning
The United States Senate when Representative Preston Brooks Used a walking cane to beat senator Charles Sumner for a speech he had given that made Brooks angry. Charles had insulted the north in his speech and Brooks thought he had passed a line. -
James Buchanan
James Buchanan was a democrat, former lawyer, and a Quaker. He was from Pennsylvania and he was kind of a dull politician. He left the Supreme Court to decide on slavery and when he left Office, he was happy to leave his position. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave in the south but he was forced to move to the north when his owner had to move. This made him think, if i move to the north, doesn't that mean i am a free man? So he sued his owner for his freedom. The court however ruled against him and said that since he was bought, he was property and property had no freedom. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln- Douglas Debates were a series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The north wanted Lincoln to become president because he is against slavery and the south looks at Douglas and they feel safe. -
Harpers Ferry
John Brown raided Harpers Ferry was an attempt to initiate an armed slaves revolt. The north saw him as some form of a hero and the south saw him as a terrorist. -
Lincoln's Election Of 1860
The candidates running at this time were Lincoln, Douglas, Breckenridge, and Bell. Lincoln and Douglas were complete opposites and Lincoln went and beat them all. He went and won all of the free states, since he was anti slavery, and states said if he was elected, they would secede. The order they seceded in was South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia,Louisiana, and Texas. Lincoln also had the most electoral votes and had only won by a little bit with the popular vote. -
Southern Secession
The Southern Secession was the withdrawal of eleven states in the south. Those eleven states formed a government, the confederacy, in 1861. The union began in April, 1861.
