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Missouri Compromise
There was a disagreement in congress about whether or not Missouri would be a slave state. People did not want to admit Missouri to the union because it would create a disbalance between slave states and free states. As a compromise, Henry Clay proposed that Maine a free state would be admitted into the union to create a balance -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a proposal to ban slavery in all Mexican cession territories. The proposed bill passed in the house but not in the Senate. This bill angered the southerners a lot. This led to the formation of the Whig Party -
Compromise of 1850
In the compromise of 1850 again proposed by Henry Clay California would become a free state and the slave trade in Washington D.C. was banned. In return popular sovereignty would be used to decide if the Mexican Cession territories would be slave states and their would be a tough new fugitive slave law which basically meant anyone who had dark skin and was accused of being a slave could be taken back to the south. -
Fugitive Slave Act
As touched on in the previous section the fugitive slave act was very strict and unfair. Anyone person with dark skin could be accused of being a escaped slave and then kidnapped into slavery even if you bought your freedom. Many people were unfairly put into slavery and didn't even have a trial. -
Uncle Tom´s Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book encouraged abolitionism and was the second best selling book of the century, only beaten by the bible. It fueled a lot of change in view in the north but angered many southerners. Harriet Beecher Stowe later toured the world and advocated to end slavery. -
Kansas / Nebraska act
This act was passed in congress in 1854. It allowed the people in those two states to decide whether or not there would be slavery in the state. Here came the problem. People from other state would come and vote if they felt strongly enough about slavery. A newspaper writer in New York called this ´Bleeding Kansas´ -
Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott case was very controversial. A slave whose master had died while he was in a free state. Dred Scott then sued for his freedom. The case took ten years and eventually reached the supreme court. He was not given his freedom. This got rid of the concept of slave and free state because slavery was still allowed in free states. -
Lincoln Douglass Debate
The Lincoln Douglas debate were a series of debates for the Illinois senate. Lincoln was a not very well known lawyer and these debates gained him much popularity even though he did not win the party nomination. This was crucial to Lincoln's election in the coming years -
John Brown´s Raid
John Brown raided the small town of Harper Ferry which contained a federal reserve of weapons. He wanted to begin a slave revolt but failed because no slaves came and his small group was stranded. The US marines led by Robert E. Lee quickly ended the revolt and John Brown was hanged. -
Lincoln´s Election
As soon as lincoln was elected north carolina seceded. Other states quickly followed. Lincoln ran for the republican party which was anti slavery. Lincoln did not have much competition because the democratic party was divided. The republican party was very new at the time but still had much support. -
Southern Secession
The south seceded as soon as lincoln was elected. The south captured fort sumter but the fort sumter was still held by a union commander. They tried to starve the troops there but then opened fire. The troops eventually surrendered and that was the start of the civil war
