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Missouri Compromise
Because of sectionalism between the North and the South the MIssouri Compromise was created to settle the caos between them. It also preserved balance in the Congress between the free states and the slave states. Missouri entered as a slave state and Maine as a free state. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was an enslaved African-American bought by an army doctor in Missouri. The family had moved to multiple locations including areas that slavery was banned. The doctor died and Scott sued for his freedom. The case gain so much attention that it made its way to the Supreme Court. The court denied his case saying that he was property and the constitution restricted them from taking away property. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 consisted of Henry Clay's plan that was broken up into five different bills. It was an alternative option to a law that was wanted that required the states to return the fugitives, or runaways to their owners. Because the South talked about seceding from the Union, the five bills, known as the Compromise of 1850 was created. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
When Douglas repealed the Missouri Compromise, Congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This allowed slavery into the areas that had been free for more that 30 years, and gave the people the power to choose and vote what they wanted to be. This is called popular sovereignty. Each group wanted to gain more states and territories. This caused the existence of border ruffians. They would go and vote in a election to get more vote for their group. -
"Bleeding Kansas" - Sacking of Lawrence
A group of slavery supporters attacked the town of Lawrence. THis enrages a man of the name John Brown, a abolitionist. He led a group of people along Pottawatomie Creek and killed five pro-slavery supporters. Newspapers referred to this area as "Bleeding Kansas". -
LIncoln and Douglas Debates
Abraham Lincoln ran for the republican party and Stephen A Douglas ran for the Democratic party. LIncoln challenge Douglas to a series of debates, which he agreed to. Thousands came to these event. The main topic of these debates was slavery. During the debates, douglas pressed Lincoln on his views of slavery. Douglas wanted to know Lincoln's views on slavery. In the end, Douglas won the election by just a few votes, but it wasn't a total loss for Lincoln. He had received national attention. -
Raid on Harpers Ferry (John Brown)
After the 1858 election, the South felt threatened by the North. Instead of resolving the situation respectfully, they reverted to violence. An abolitionist, John Brown, led a group to Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He wanted to take out their weapons bunker. He wanted to arm the African-Americans. He was defeated by the local citizens and federal troops. Brown was sentenced to hanging. Some people in the North believed that his death was considered a martyr. The nation was on the brink of disaster. -
Election of Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the candidate of the Republican Party and he ran against the Northern Democratic candidate Stephen A Douglas as well as the Southern Democratic candidate John C. Breckinridge. Lincoln view slavery as morally wrong but admitted there was no easy way to end slavery where it existed. Lincoln won the election because the Democrats divided between the two candidates leaving Lincoln the rest of the Northern voters. -
Lincoln Inaugural Address
In Lincoln's inaugural address, Lincoln directly spoke to the seceding states. He spoke with toughness and with words of peace. He said that the secession would not be permitted forever. He said that he would hold federal property in the South, including some of the forts and military bases. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
When Lincoln took office, the Confederate States had already taken over some of the U.S. forts in their states. Lincoln wanted to take the forts back but didn't want to start a war. The commander of Fort Sumter sent Lincoln a messages saying that he was low on supplies. Lincoln sent an unarmed troop to the fort hoping that it would start a war. Jefferson Davis decided to fire on the fort before the Union troops could get there causing them to surrender.This was the start of the civil war.
