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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
This treaty had America acquire over 55% of Mexican territory and ended the Mexican-American war. This expanded America greatly and caused the compromise of 1850. -
US constitution-3/5 compromise
The 3/5 compromise made it so each slave in the south got 3/5ths of a vote. This was not to give the slaves an identity but to give the south more votes. -
Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest ordinance did a lot of things including abolishing slavery in the Northwest and starting public education. This also declared new government protocols and the way to admit new states to the union. -
Fugitive Slave act
The fugitive slave act made it so any escaped slave could be brought back to their plantation by their master or anyone who was willing to. This caused many problems because there were free slaves that were taken into custody because someone said that they were their slave or they were thought to be one. -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
The invention of the Cotton Gin greatly steepened slavery because it made cotton production a lot faster. Before the Invention, slavery was slowly dying out, but after it, it caused slaves to be worth a lot more since cotton was in high demand. -
Missouri compromise
The Missouri compromise made it so everything south of the Missouri border was a slave state, and everything above it was a free state. This was important because it split the country in half, leading to arguments. -
Ban of slave importation
Washington DC bans slave importation because they can't have it in the capitol. This showed an abolition political stance in the capitol. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
The Nat turner rebellion was the bloodiest rebellion, it was when Nat turner and a couple of others went around slaughtering slave owners to stop slavery. He claims god told him to. This was a sign of violence from the abolitionists. -
South Carolina Nullification Crisis
The government declared a tariff in the south to help northern industry, but South Carolina attempted to nullify it. This caused disputes over if they were allowed to nullify laws, and if so which ones. -
Organization of Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman was one of the founders of the underground railroad, she was nicknamed "Black Moses" because she helped escaped slaves get to freedom. She symbolized the path to freedom to many, even though not many people made it all the way through the railroad alive. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a failed attempt to have all land acquired by Mexico be a free state. This was a big lead up to the civil war because it helped create the republican party. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was a series of 5 laws that attempted to abolish slavery. Some of them were deciding territories or making other places decided by popular sovereignty, another was getting rid of slave trade in Washington DC. But it also introduced the Fugitive slave act. These laws were supposed to slow down slavery and push it back but the Fugitive slave act caused more slavery. -
"Uncle Toms Cabin" Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book about the harshness of slavery. It showed many people that black people were people too. This inspired many people to become abolitionists. -
Kansas Nebraska act
The Kansas Nebraska act created the two new territories, Kansas and Nebraska, but went against the Missouri compromise because it introduced popular sovereignty. This soon caused bleeding Kansas. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a period of time where popular sovereignty was being disputed in Kansas and Nebraska and people held raids trying to make Kansas a slave state. -
Charles Sumner Attacked
Charles Sumner being attacked was because he spoke out against the crimes in Kansas the south did. Him being attacked in office was a sign of the start of violence. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott decision was a law suit about a slave being brought into a free land by their master and claiming to then be freed. This ended with the court ruling he wasn't even allowed to testify in court in the first place and proving the "slaves are property" debate. -
John Browns raid at Harper's Ferry
John brown attempted to raid Harper's ferry and arm slaves to spark a rebellion but nobody came. The slaves were too afraid of what their master's would do to them if they got caught that they didn't dare to rebel. It showed how the south had gotten too menacing to fight against. -
Lincoln's Election
Lincolns election was the start of abolition being more severe than before. Lincoln too office on March 4, 1861 and would not stop fighting for the union for anything. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
South Carolina seceded from the union because of the slavery conflict with the north and to show that they would do anything to keep their rights. The secession led to many more states seceding and having a clear two sides that are fighting.