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Conflicts leading up to the Civil War
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Nat Turners Rebellion
A slave, Nat Turner, started an uprising with slaves. He and about 70 other blacks, killed about 60 white men, mainly slaveowners. Eventually, Nat Turner and five others were executed. There had many many other small uprisings, but this was the bloodiest. Tougher slave codes and restricitions were made cause of this. -
Wilmot Proviso
Legislation prosposed by David Wilmont, that would outlaw slavery in territory acquired by the United States from the Mexican War, which included most of the Southwest and streched all the way to California. This debate promoted the first serious discussion of secession. -
The Mexican American War
Conflict driven by the idea of "Manifest Denstiny." The Americans had the right to expand their land, which caused suffering of many Mexicans. So the Meixans refused and caused the war. It was ended by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States agreed to pay Mexico $15 million in return for then one more of its territory: Texas, New Mexico, and California. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise prevented further territorial expanison of slavery. California was admitted to the Union as a free state, settled a border dispte between New Mexico and Texas, abolished slave trade in Washington D.C, but no slavery. Also, passed the Fugitive Slave Act, that made Northerners to seize and return escaped slaves to the South and finally the Compromise organized the territories of New Mexicao into Utah and New Mexico and left it up to them to decide to be a slave state or not. -
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Bleeding Kansas
A series of violent political controversies involving pro-slavery and anit-slavery that took place in Kansas Territory. The Kansas-Nebraska Act passed, it allowed settlers in the two territories to determine wether or not to permit slavery by popular vote. -
Anthony Burns Uproar
Abolitionist Wendell Phillips and other anti-slavery memebers attack a federal courthouse in Boston, Massachusetts where Anthony Burns, a fugitive slave is held. Burns is eventually returned to his master by local residents. President Pierce uses this example to others, to show why he will enforce the Fugitive Slave Act. -
John Brown raided Harper's Ferry
John Brown led a group of 17 people to raid Harpers Ferry. He wanted to start a slave uprising using the captured weapons. Him and his men were eventually caught and he was tried and hanged for treason. This event was one more in the growing abolitionist movement that help lead to open warfare. -
Underground Railroad
Abolitionist helped runaway slaves escape from their owners and be free. They helped them through "the Underground Railroad." Some white men were sent to retreve their slaves, but they were beaten ad mobbed by abolitionist. This helped the North get more people to side with anti-slavery. Many fights were fought when trying to free a slave. -
The Battle of Fort Sumter
Once South Carolina sececed from the Union, soliders were placed there, the conferderates tried to force them out of the fort, but they refused. So confederate warships opended fire on the Union garrison holding Fort Sumter. -
Attack on Charles Sumner
Preston Brooks of South Carolina, beats Charles Sumner of Massachusetts with a cane on the floor of the US Senate. Because Sumner ridicules slaveowners and especially Preston's cousin, Preston beats him with a cane from anger.
