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The End of the Mexian War and The Wilmot Proviso
At the end of the Mexican War the United States needed to decide if their newly gained territories would be free or slave. David Wilmot proposed outlawing slavery in all of the newly acquired states. While this plan failed, it began the first discussions and debates about succession. -
Compromise of 1850
In 1850, they settled the issue of the United States new territory by creating a compromise. It stopped the new states from becoming slave states and made the Fugitive Slave act stricter. This caused abolitionists to work harder and the underground railroad became more active. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book about the life of a slave that opened many northerner's eyes to slavery and made the southerners angry. The book was very popular and helped the abolition cause. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed the two states to decide whether or not they would be slave or free thought popular soverignty. Anti-and pro-slavery supporters flocked to sway the vote one way or another. the debates and arguments led to a lot of violence, and Kansas became known as 'Bleeding Kansas'. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott, a slave for Virginia, tried to become free and brought his case to the Supreme Court. On May 6th, 1857, they decided that he would not be freed because he was property and not a person. This decision caused even more tension between the North and South and the abolition cause. -
John Brown's Raid
In 1859, John Brown led a small group of people to raid a government arsenal, in hopes of using them to lead a slave uprising. They succeeded, but had to surrender and they were all either captured or killed. The raid influenced the abolitionist movement and caused the South to arm themselves in preparation for future raids. -
Election of 1860
In 1860, despite being unpopular in the South, Abraham Lincoln was elected president. Lincoln was against the expansion of slavery and agreed that the South was becoming too popular. A month after the election, South Carolina succeeded from the Union and six other states followed. -
Crittenden Compromise
The Crittenden compromise was a last chance to stop the looming successions and war. It had several amendments that would appeal to the South. Except, many Northerners, including Abraham Lincoln, did not approve of the compromise. The failure of the compromise shows how inevitable the Civil War was. -
Jefferson Davis Elected President
The confederate states elected Jefferson Davis as their leader and president. Jefferson was a Mexican War hero and senator of Mississippi. Previously, Davis was against succession, but when Mississippi succeeded, he withdrew from the Senate. Davis worked hard during the war, but didn't focus on the right things, so he wasn't as successful as Lincoln. -
Battle of Sumter
The Battle of Sumter was the battle that began the American Civil War. Using skillful strategy, Abraham Lincoln forced the Confederates to bombard the fort. The Battle of Sumter would lead to the next 4 years of war between the Union and the Confederates.
