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Missouri Compromise (1820)
The Missouri Compromise was a federal law that allowed for the admission of Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, preserving the balance between slave and free states in Congress. This compromise attempted to defuse tensions over the issue of slavery and maintain the delicate balance between the North and South. -
Wilmot Proviso (1846)
The Wilmot Proviso was a proposed amendment to a federal appropriations bill that sought to ban slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican-American War. The proposal was defeated in Congress, but it further deepened the rift between Northern and Southern politicians over the issue of slavery and its expansion. -
Election of 1848 & the Free Soil Party (1848)
The election of 1848 saw the rise of the Free Soil Party, a political party that opposed the expansion of slavery into the Western territories. This party's success in the election, along with other events such as the Wilmot Proviso, further highlighted the growing divide between the North and South over the issue of slavery. -
Compromise of 1850 (1850)
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of laws passed by Congress that attempted to address several contentious issues, including the question of slavery in the territories. The compromise admitted California as a free state, but also included the highly controversial Fugitive Slave Act, which required authorities in free states to assist in the capture and return of runaway slaves. -
Fugitive Slave Act & Personal Liberty Laws (1850)
The Fugitive Slave Act, part of the Compromise of 1850, required authorities in free states to assist in the capture and return of runaway slaves, sparking outrage and resistance in the North. In response, several Northern states passed Personal Liberty Laws, which protected the rights of individuals accused of being runaway slaves and made it more difficult for Southern slaveholders to reclaim them. These laws further escalated tensions between the North and South. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
Uncle Tom's Cabin, a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was published in 1852 and became a bestseller. The novel depicted the harsh realities of slavery and the cruel treatment of slaves, which contributed to increasing tensions between the Northern and Southern states. The novel was widely read and discussed, and helped to galvanize abolitionist sentiment in the North. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed in 1854, and it allowed settlers in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether they wanted to be a free or slave state by popular sovereignty. This act effectively repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had prohibited slavery in the Kansas and Nebraska territories. The act led to violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in the territories, known as "Bleeding Kansas." -
Lincoln-Douglas Debate (1858)
The Lincoln-Douglas Debate was a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, who were running for the U.S. Senate in Illinois. The debates were held in 1858, and they focused largely on the issue of slavery. Lincoln, an abolitionist, argued against the expansion of slavery, while Douglas, a proponent of popular sovereignty, argued that states should be able to decide for themselves whether to allow slavery. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry (1859)
In 1859, John Brown led a group of abolitionists on a raid of the federal armory at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. The raid was an attempt to seize weapons and start a slave rebellion, but it was quickly put down by U.S. soldiers. The raid, although unsuccessful, helped to escalate tensions between the Northern and Southern states, and it was seen as a major threat by Southern slaveholders. -
Election of 1860 & the Republican Party (1860)
The election of 1860 saw the rise of the Republican Party, which was largely opposed to the expansion of slavery. The party's nominee, Abraham Lincoln, was a vocal opponent of slavery, and he won the election with a majority of electoral votes. The election of Lincoln, who did not receive a single vote from the Southern states, was seen as a threat by many Southern slaveholders, and it contributed to the decision by several Southern states to secede from the Union. -
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Secession of Eleven Southern States (1860-1861)
In the months following the election of 1860, eleven Southern states seceded from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America. The states believed that Lincoln's election represented a threat to their way of life, and they cited the right to secede as one of their reasons for leaving the Union. The secession of these states was a major factor in the start of the Civil War.