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Period: to
Conflicts Leading Up to the Civil War
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Mexican-American War
The Lands aquired during the Mexican-American War were the source of much controversy in the U.S. Should they be admitted as free states or slave states? In the end California was admitted fully as a slave state while popular sovereignty was used to decide to allow slavery in other aquired territory. This would anger the South and eventually lead to the Compromise of 1850. -
Wakaurusa War
On November 21st, 1855 anit-slavery Charles Dow was shot and killed by pro-slavey Franklin Colemon near Lawerence, Kansas. This increased tensions in the area and 1,500 pro-slavery supporters from Missouri under the command of Sheriff Samuel J. Jones set up camp just outside of Lawerence. John Brown and other anti-slavery advocates had barricaded Lawerance and were prepared to defend it, but peace was eventually made without the invasion of Lawerence. Only one person was killed during this. -
Pierce Sides With Slavery
President Franklin Pierce, even after a congressional comittee founded voter fraud by pro-slavery supports, recognizes the pro-slavery government in Kansas. This causes outrage by the anti-slavery supporters in Lawerence, Kansas. -
Sacking of Lawerence
Samuel J Jones (again) led a force of 800 pro-slavery people to ransack the town of Lawerence. Two printing offices were vandalized and thier prints thrown into the river. The Free State was later burned to the ground. Petty looting was also taking place throughout the mostly deserted town. -
Pottawatomie Creek Massacre
John Brown and some of his followers killed 5 pro-slavery men near Pottawatomie Creek. He would escape and begin to plan the raid at Harper's Ferry. -
Preston Brooks attacks Charles Sumner
Republican Senator Charles Sumner took to the Senate floor to verbally attack the evil that was slavery, and in ti=urn PReston Brooks of South Carolina attacked Sumner with his cane. This attack increased the North-South split in the U.S. -
Force of Free Government
500 Union troops were led to Topeka, Kansas and pointed at Constitution Hall. Colonel E.V. Sumner ordered the dispersal of Free Legislature. -
Battle of Osawatomie
Around 250 pro-salvery men attacked the anti=slavery settlement of Osawatomie, Kansas. John Brown led a small force of 40 men in an attempt to defend the settlement, but his group was forced to retreat. Osawatomie was raided and burned. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown and his small badm of followers lead a raid on the Federal Arsenal at Harper"s Ferry in an attempt to arm slaves in the area. John Brown is captured and exectued. -
Death of John Brown
On the morning of December 2, 1859 the great Aboltionist John Brown was hung in Charles Town, VA. The North considered him a martyr while the South celebrated his death.
