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Mexican-American War
The very first U.S armed conflict that took place on foreign soil. It politically divided and militarily unprepared Mexico against the expansionist-minded administration of U.S President James Polk. Ulysses S Grant was a exponential piece in this war.
The acquisition of so much territory with the issue of slavery unresolved lit the fuse that eventually set off the Civil War in 1861. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was made up of 5 bills that attempted to resolve disputes over slavery in new territories. Whig senator Henry Clay and Democratic senator Stephan Douglas.
The gap between Northerners and Southerners, and these living in ¨free¨ and ¨slave¨ states, was widening. This would soon lead to the start of the Civil War. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act required citizens to assist in the recovery of fugitive slaves. It denied a fugitive slaves right to a jury trial. The Fugitive Slave Act increased the polarization of the North and South and served as a catalyst to events which led to the war. -
Uncle Toms Cabin
Uncle Tom´s Cabin was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, he shared ideas about the injustices of slavery. This pushed back against dominant cultural beliefs about the physical and emotional capacities of African Americans.
The abolitionist sentiment fueled by the release of Uncle Tom´s Cabin helped usher Abraham Lincoln into office after the election of 1860 and played a role in starting the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two more territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. Senator Stephan Douglas of Illinois introduced a bill that divided the land into two territories.
It intensified the bitter debate over slavery in the United States, which would later explode into the Civil War. Bleeding Kansas was important to starting the Civil War because of the violent battles that were occurring. -
The Caining of Sumner
In the United States chamber, when Representative Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery Democrat from South Carolina, used a walking Cain to attack Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist.
This beating nearly killed Sumner and contributed to the country's polarization over the issue of slavery. The amount of violence going on eventually led to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a freed slave that resigned in a non-slave state. He sued the U.S because even though he was a freed slave, they made him leave his home and resign somewhere different.
The divide between North and South over slavery grew and culminated in the succession of southern states from the Union and the creation of the Confederate United States. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
A series of formal political debates between the challenger, Abraham Lincoln, and the incumbent, Stephan A. Douglas, in a campaign for one of Illinois' two United States Senate seats.
The Lincoln Douglas debates led to the Civil War because it denied citizenship to all African Americans, enslaved or free, and then accused him of seeking to make slavery legal throughout the United States. -
The Confederate States of America formed
The Confederate States of America was a collection of 11 states that seceded from the United States in 1860, following the election of Abraham Lincoln. This event led to the Civil War because Confederate forces fired shots at the fort and Union troops surrendered. -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln (Republican) won over John Breckenridge (Democrat) and John Bell (Constitutional Union Party)
This election caused a chain reaction of Southern states to secede from the Union since they were afraid of New President, Lincolns policies.