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Missouri Compromise of 1820
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise proposed by Henry Clay. Missouri wanted to become a state, but that would upset the congressional balance of free and slave states . The compromise preserved the balance by admitting Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. It also banned slavery in the Louisiana Territory north of the southern border of Missouri. The compromise delayed the eventual clash between the North and the South over slavery. -
Wilmot Provisio
David Wilmot was a senator from Pennsylvania. The Senate was dominated by Southerners so when the US gained a bunch of land from the Mexican Cession, Wilmot proposed a bill. It would prohibit slavery in all new western territories. The bill was passed in the Senate, but not in the House. The proposal still angered the South as they viewed it as attacking slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
Another compromise proposed by Henry Clay. It was a set of five laws that settled the issue of admitting the western territories as states. California was admitted as a free state. Utah and New Mexico were admitted as slave states under popular sovereignty. The slave trade was abolished in the capital. It also established the controversial Fugitive Slave Act. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850. It required people to turn in anyone accused of being a runaway slave. The accused didn’t have rights to resist, or even a trial. John C Calhoun hoped that it would force northerners to admit that slaveholders had rights to their property, but many northerners were convinced that slavery was terrible and needed to be abolished. These northerners began to resist the law. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
A book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that illustrated the horrors of slavery. It convinced many people to become abolitionists. It fueled the anger between the North and the South. For the North, it was an awakening for people that slavery was a moral issue. On the other hand, the South said it was an exaggeration and that it was propaganda from the North. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In the Kansas-Nebraska territories, more disputes over slavery arose. The Southerners feared that some northern states would make slavery illegal. Stephen Douglas helped pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, which called for the territories to vote on slavery laws. This act upset Northerners and excited the Southerners. When the voting was scheduled, people from both sides flooded to the area to vote for their side, which resulted in voter fraud. This anger led to violence. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom. He said that since he had lived in Wisconsin and Illinois, which are free regions, he should be free. The case eventually reached the Supreme Court. The Court decreed that since he was a slave, he wasn’t a citizen, and he couldn’t sue. It said that living in a free state did make him free, and that slaves are property protected by the Constitution. Congress could not outlaw slavery in any territory so slavery became legal in all the territories. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
In 1858, Abraham Lincoln was a Republican and Stephen Douglas was a Democrat. Both men were competing for a seat in the US Senate. They had a series of 7 debates, sometimes referred to as the Great Debates. The 7 debates were mostly about slavery. Douglas ended up winning the election, but the debates helped Lincoln gain popularity. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown was an abolitionist. In 1859, he gathered a bunch of followers and attacked the town of Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. They seized weapons and hoped to arm the slaves there to start a revolt. There was violence and a few people died. Eventually, troops were called in and John Brown was arrested. He was brought to court where he expressed no remorse. The court declared him guilty of murder and treason and sentenced him to death. His death inspired many people to join the abolitionist cause. -
Southern Secession
After the election of Lincoln, the South felt they no longer had representation in the government. Not a single Southerner had voted for him (because he wasn’t on the ballot). South Carolina was the first state to secede, quickly followed by six others. They formed the Confederate States of America. Some southern states didn’t join until later, and some didn’t join at all. The Confederacy’s first president was Senator Jefferson Davis. -
Lincoln's Inauguration
Four people were candidates in the 1860 election. Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, Stephen Douglas was a Northern Democrat, John Breckinridge, a Southern Democrat, and John Bell was a Constitutional Union Partier. Douglas won Missouri, Breckinridge won nine states in the south plus Maryland, Bell won Tennessee, Kentucky, and Virginia. Lincoln ended up winning since he won all of the free states. His election angered the south as they felt they were no longer represented in the government.
