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Mexican-American War
The Mexican war was caused by the border between Texas and the US Nueces strip. Mexico didn't view Texas as U.S. territory, so when Texas entered the U.S. it angered Mexicans. Texas wanted independence and freedom, especially with slavery. Mexico was 'blind' to Texas's statehood in the U.S. The war resulted in 13k deaths and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. It ended the war which made Mexico give up 55% of its land. This also expanded slavery and popular sovereignty, upsetting the equity of N&S. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Congress passed the act on Sep. 18th, 1850. The act stated that slaves must be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. The backlash towards the 1793 slave law resulted in the 1850 act. If you were caught helping a runaway you would be fined $500 or 6 months imprisonment. Officials were forced to find, return, and try slaves. It favored slaveholders of the South and angered abolitionists of the North. Runaway slaves were a big issue that evidently led to the Civil War. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Published in 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin laid out the base work for the Civil War. It was an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that showed the problems of slavery and how blacks were treated as property, not as humans. Southern slaveholders burned copies and banned the book. This strengthened northern abolitionism and British sympathy for the south was weakened. The book encouraged citizens to speak out against slavery and ultimately paved the road to the Civil War. -
Birth of Republican Party
On March 20th, 1854 a meeting was held in Wisconsin discussing a new political party. This meeting was known as the birth of the Republican party. The party was formed by anti-slavery Whigs and Democrats, free soilers, and northerners. The party's purpose was to be an opposition to the Democrats and to stop the spread of slavery into western territories. The south threatened secession from the nation if the republicans were to win an election, this created tensions throughout the nation. -
Bleeding Kansas
A small civil war was fought between pro and anti-slavery. They fought over the new state of Kansas and whether it would be a free state or a slave state. Abolitionists attacked and killed white southerners, this showed the violence that would soon occur in the Civil War. Abolitionist Senator Sumner was beaten on the Senate floor by Pro-slavery Senator Brooks as an act of protest. This helped form the political parties, showing the violent debate of slavery that created secession in the nation. -
Panic of 1857
Over-investments in industries caused the Panic of 1857. International economic declines and over-expanding domestic economies also caused it. Southern slave owners argued slavery was superior to the industrialization of machines. They believed slaves would always be more efficient than the new inventions the north was creating. This sent the nation into a depression that damaged northern grain producers and southern merchants, the lack of production made it hard for people to make a profit. -
The 1860 Election
In the election of 1860, 4 candidates ran for office; Abraham Lincoln (Rep.), Stephen Douglas, John Breckenridge, and John Bell. Many issues faced the nation during this time like a national tariff, the homestead act, the transcontinental railroad, and slavery. Democrats were split between pro and anti-slavery advocates. Lincoln was elected president and his purpose was to abolish slavery. This resulted in the South threatening to secede from the nation and initiating the start of the Civil War.