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Fugitive Slave Laws
In 1793 Congress passed what was know as the Fugitive Slave Act. This act is to prevent slaves from becoming free, meaning that if you come across a run away slave you must turn them back to their owner. This caused many slaves that had run away and became free to have to go back to slavery. -
American Colonization Society
The American Colonization Society also known as the ACS was a foundation created to send African Americans back to Africa. The ACS had raised money and bought land in Africa to be able to send slaves back there. This really started to raise the question of what should be done about slavery and African Americans? -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny the idea that God wants the American people to move out west and explore. With this came much controversy over whether the new states will be slave states or freed states. Western land is also better for farming then the South, but who will be farming there? -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe
is a detailed book about slavery in the South. The book goes deep into hard topics and the treatment of slaves. The book had been banned in the South and read by everyone in the North. The book really brought up the controversy of slavery. -
Kansas - Nebraska Act
The Kansas - Nebraska Act is when the future of slavery really had come into question. With there being new states the North fought for anti-slavery while the South fought for slavery. Whats known as "Bleeding Kansas" was a civil war that happened in Kansas when trying to determine the fate of slavery. -
Caning of Charles Sumner
The Caning of Charles Sumner was when a man named Preston Brooks attacks Charles Sumner on the Senate floor leaving him unconscious and severely injured. Sumner was attacked for his “Crime against Kansas speech” and attacking Southerners. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott who was a slave who had sued all the way up to the Supreme Court. He had argued that he was a slave and when his owner had moved to a freed state, he then becomes free. Judge Roger Taney who was the Chief Justice of the Supreme court is from Maryland and owns slaves, he writes a majority opinion and ends up denying Dred Scotts freedom. -
John Brown
John Brown believed that God was talking to him and that God told him that he need to lead a slave revolt. Brown ends up getting a group of slaves together and they raid Harpers Ferry Virginia where the U.S army keeps their weapons. He will ultimately be unsuccessful and captured by the state of Virginia and charged. -
Election of 1860
In the Election of 1860 Abe Lincoln wins with 39.6% of the votes, with the greatest voting turn out to this day. However after Abe Lincoln wins the election Southern states start to talk about seceding from the Union. -
The South Secedes
Ultimately in the end the South secedes from the Union. In February of 1861 11 states will leave and the Civil War will soon break out. All these events had lead to the Souths secession.