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Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay proposed the Compromise of 1850 to address slavery-related disputes, including the admission of California as a free state and the abolition of slavery in Washington, D.C. The Compromise of 1850 deferred the expansion of slavery, but the Fugitive Slave Act raised tensions by allowing free African Americans to be easily captured and sold into slavery. -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, inspired many northerners to align with the abolitionist movement and pushed southerners to intensify their defense of slavery. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act alienated pro- and anti-slavery factions and resulted in bloodshed. The Kansas-Nebraska Act split the Democratic and Whig parties into northern and southern factions, resulting in the formation of the Republican party. -
Bleeding Kansas
The doctrine of popular sovereignty led to bloodshed in the Kansas Territory due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which led to the establishment of pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions. -
Dred Scott Decision
Roger B. Taney's majority decision in Dred Scott v. Sanford ruled that African Americans had no rights and could be reduced to slavery for their benefit. This decision further divided the Democratic party between northerners and southerners, benefiting the Republican Party. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 presidential election due to a series of debates between Lincoln and Douglas on slavery and its future. -
John Brown’s Raid
John Brown was a life-long abolitionist who attempted to incite a slave rebellion in Harpers Ferry, but was killed or captured by local militia and U.S. Marines. His actions confirmed white southerners' fears of future slave rebellions. -
Abraham Lincoln’s Election
Abraham Lincoln's election as president was the catalyst for southern secession, but the Democratic party was fragmented due to Stephen A. Douglas' refusal to support popular sovereignty. The election of Lincoln marked the end of slavery's expansion west and abolition in the South, leading to the formation of the Confederate States of America. -
Secession Winter
James Buchanan proposed an amendment to recognize the right of property in slaves, which became one of the seventy-two proposed amendments designed to stop secession in the winter of 1860. The Corwin Amendment was a major concession to the South, but failed to appease them before the outbreak of hostilities at Ft. Sumter. -
Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter marked the beginning of four and a half years of bloodshed that would forever change the US through the destruction of slavery.