-
Texas Revolution
Even though the Mexican government was against slavery, the transfer of so much land while the slavery question remained unsolved fanned the tinder that ultimately ignited the Civil War in 1861. However, the fundamental concern was how the balance between free and slave states would change if additional states and territories were added. It states "Southern immigration to Texas after independence increased the slave population there from 5,000 in 1836 to 38,753 in 1840." -
The treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
America lost western possessions as a result of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the end of the Mexican War in 1848. This created a challenge. If these additional territories were admitted as states, would they be states that practiced slavery or those that did not? In order to address this Congress established the Compromise of 1850 which in essence made California free and gave the residents of Utah and New Mexico the freedom to make their own decisions. It was known as popular sovereignty. -
Fugitive slave act
Fugitive Slave Act was a result of Southerners' desire for property rights in the compromise of 1850. It made it possible for slave owners to apprehend runaway slaves and bring them before a judge without allowing them to testify for themselves. creating conflict in the north, from which slaves would run. It states "Resistance also occasionally boiled over into riots and revolts. In 1851 a mob of antislavery activists rushed a Boston courthouse and forcibly liberated an escapee" (History.com) -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise strengthened the Slave Act, which required Northerners to apprehend and bring back escaped slaves to the South, while also recognizing California as a free state and allowing slavery to continue in the remaining Mexican cession. While the agreement was successful in delaying hostilities between the North and South, it did little to address the structural imbalance that kept the country divided. -
Uncles Tom Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was the second-best-selling book in America in the 19th century, second only to the Bible. Its popularity increased the gap between North and South and brought the topic of slavery to life for those few who had remained unmoved despite decades of legislative warfare. "By placing the family separated trade at the center of Uncle toms cabin she dramatized for readers the ways that all slaveowners were complicit in the most brutal results of the system of slavery."(Varon 244) -
Period: to
Bleeding Kansas
Tension in the north resulted from Kansas's admission as the first slave state. North declared Lawrence to be free soil in 1854. resulting in a bloody conflict over "popular sovereignty" in Kansas between border thugs and free soilers. Accordingly "Ultimately consigned the Know-Nothings to the status of a way station, however, was not the machinations of its supporters but rather events in far-off Kansas, where ‘‘popular sovereignty’’ was giving rise to chaos and bloodshed."(Varon 259) -
Dred Scott Decision
The political environment that has so far managed to avert civil war threatened to be completely reshaped by Dred Scott decision. The federal government's ability to control the institution was significantly complicated by the designation of slaves as mere property. "The Dred Scott case destroyed the delicate agreement between slave and free states and created national anger that helped lead to the Civil War." divide between the North and South over slavery grew and culminated in the secession -
John Browns Raid
Brown suggested a plan to raid the South and incite a slave revolt. He was killed on December 2, 1859, as a result of this failing. This was the first public memorial service held in memory of George Washington. The South was shocked because they feared a slave uprising. As a result, the south began to discuss succession. It states "seven people were killed and at least 10 more were injured before Brown and seven of his remaining men were captured." -
Abraham Lincoln Election 1860
Lincoln was a Republican, which angered the South in the 1860 election, which resulted in his victory. The majority of the political system that was dominated by the desire to abolish slavery was dreaded by the populace. Their lives were in danger because of the North. It states "As a Republican, his party’s anti-slavery outlook struck fear into many Southerners." After being sworn in as president Lincoln refused to accept any resolution that would result in Southern secession from the Union. -
Fort Sumter
Civil War would be started in large part as a result of the attack of Fort Sumter. Lincoln called for Union volunteers to put down the uprising in the days after the attack, but more Southern states, including Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, sided with the Confederacy. "Unwilling to contribute troops, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee dissolved their ties to the federal government."(Battlefield.org)