Events Leading Up to Civil War

  • Missouri Compromise

    Missouri Compromise
    The Missouri Compromise was a law that addressed the growing tension over the issue of slavery in new states. The Missouri Compromise maintained a balance between free and slave states.
  • Nat Turner Rebellion

    Nat Turner Rebellion
    The Nat Turner Rebellion was a slave rebellion in Southhampton County, Virginia which was the largest slave rebellion to ever take place in the United States. Nat Turner believed he was sent by God to help take his people away from slavery.
  • Mexican-American War

    The Mexican-American War was a war between America and Mexico over land. The Mexican-American War was a disputed boundary between the United States and Texas.
  • The Wilmot Proviso

    The Wilmot Proviso
    The Wilmot Proviso was a failed document that stated slavery should be prohibited in the expansion of the territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican-American war.
  • Gold Rush in California

    The Gold Rush in California was a gold rush that started in Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The Gold Rush in California sparked because of the discovery of gold nuggets in the Sacramento Valley.
  • Harriett Tubman and Underground Railroad

    The Harriett Tubman and Underground Railroad was an underground network of people, places, and routes. The Harriett Tubman and Underground Railroad provided shelter and assistance for the escaping slaves trying to get where they need to go.
  • Compromise of 1850

    The Compromise of 1850 was a compromise that stated California would be a free state and recognize Texas as territories of New Mexico and Utah.
  • Fugitive Slave Act

    The Fugitive Slave Act was an act that stated that slaves that had escaped would be returned no matter where they are.
  • Uncle Tom’s Cabin

    uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel published about the abolishment of slavery and got very popular among white readers in the North
  • Kansas-Nebraska Act

    The Kansas-Nebraska Act was an act that created the territory for Kansas and Nebraska. This act allowed these states to decide to be either a slave state or free state.
  • Bleeding Kansas

    The Bleeding Kansas was a violent war between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces. Kansas declared to be a free state and the pro-slavery people in Kansas didn't like that and rebelled.
  • Dred Scott V. Sandford

    The Dred Scott V. Sandford decision by the US Supreme Court that stated that slaves and their descendents would not be US citizens.
  • Lincol-Douglass Debates

    The Lincoln-Douglass Debates were a series of formal debates between Abraham Lincoln and
    Stephen Douglass about the slavery extension issue.
  • John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry

    John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
    The John Brown’s Raid on Harper's Ferry was a slavery revolt to destroy the institution of slavery by taking over the Harper's Ferry in Virginia.
  • Presidential Election of 1860

    Presidential Election of 1860
    The Presidental Election of 1860 was an election between Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin between the abolishment issue in America.
  • South Carolina Secedes from the Union

    South Carolina Secedes from the Union
    The South Carolina Secedes from the Union was where South Carolina was convinced that a Republican administration would attempt to undermine slavery by employing antislavery judges and officials.