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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise,created by Henry Clay was a way to please the North and the South. The deal was Missouri would be admitted as a slave state and Maine a free state. Then the new states that would come from the Louisiana Purchase would, be free states if there were on the north side of Missouri's border. If they were anywhere below that they would be slave states. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed on September 18th, 1850. What it did was give certain government officials power to arrest anyone they accused of being a runaway slave. The suspect would have no right to a trail, and if a white slave owner claimed the slave was theirs then the suspect was denied freedom. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. The novel was about an enslaved man, Uncle Tom, who was abused by Simon Legree. This book became very controversial because the Northerners were finally getting a good picture of how cruel slavery really was. The Southerners though were very angry with the publishing of this book. Thye claimed it was propoganda and it did not diplay a good picture of what slavery was really like. -
Bleeding Kansas
In April, 1856 violence broke out in Kansas. Since there were two governments trying to take control of Kansas, tension was forming quickly. A proslavery sheriff was shot by antislavery settlers in the town of Lawrence, as he tried to arrest them. John Brown also caused some trouble as he raided a proslavery settlement, and killed 5 people. -
The Dred Scott Case
On March 6th, 1857 the verdict was reached for the case of Dred Scott. Dred Scott was a enslaved man owned by a U.S. Army doctor. They lived in Illinois and Wisconsin for a time, but they finally settled in Missouri. Scott tried to sue for his freedom because he claimed that since he lived in a "free state" for a while that qualified him as a free man. Chief Justice Roger B. Taney chose the verdict and said that Dred Scott was not a free man. The south pleased but the north was not. -
Harpers Ferry
In October, 1859 the town of Harpers Ferry was attacked by John Brown and several of his followers. He wanted to seize some guns that the U.S. Army had stored there. He quickly gianed control of the guns, but was surrounded by Robert E. Lee's forces. Ten people were killed and Brown was captured. -
Abraham Lincoln is Elected President
Abraham Lincolon was elected President on November 6th, 1860. He was running against Stephen Douglas, John Bell, and John Breckinridge. Lincoln won in every free state, but only had 40% of the popular vote. He ended up winning by getting the most electoral votes.
