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Bear Flag Revolt
This 25-day revolt was started when a group of American settlers in California decided to declare California's independence by rebelling against Mexico. The Bear Flag was an important symbol of the revolt because when the flag was raised, the American army began spilling into California, aiding in the victory of the revolt, which was essential for California's entry into the Union. California would become an independent nation briefly before becoming a state in 1850 (McPherson, 49). -
Compromise of 1850
The primary purpose of the Compromise of 1850 was to help tackle issues with slavery. These problems involve the Fugitive Slave Acts, how states would enter the union, the slave trade in Washington, DC, and a boundary issue faced with Texas. These points concluded that the Fugitive Slave Acts would be harsher. Whether a state would enter the union as a free or a slave state would be up to popular sovereignty. The compromise would also ban the slave trade in Washington, DC (National Archives). -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s famous novel Uncle Tom’s Cabin is published. Uncle Tom’s Cabin is about two fugitive slaves who were able to escape slavery successfully while also telling the story of Tom, a slave who his cruel owner unfortunately kills. The story has an immense connection with the Fugitive Slave Act, and the story was based on what she knew living in Ohio, which borders the slave state of Kentucky, where bounty hunters would find fugitive slaves and return them. (Varon, 243). -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase was when the United States paid Mexico 10 million dollars for a portion of land which would become parts of modern-day Arizona and New Mexico. The purpose of the Gadsden Purchase was to help resolve issues with Mexico after the Mexican- American War. The purchase is also important because the 29,670 square mile fragment would become essential land for the future transcontinental railroad. Santa Anna of Mexico would then sign the Purchase on June 8 (Office of the Historian). -
The Republican Party is Created
Intending to prevent the spread of slavery from going westward into new territories, previous Whig Party members met in Ripon, Wisconsin, to form a new party. The Republicans Party's first presidential candidate was John C. Fremont, who won eleven out of sixteen Northern states giving it a speedy success with many Northern supporters. However, the South was not fond of this new party and said that if there were to be a Republican president, they would secede (History). -
Ostend Manifesto
Three diplomats aimed to convince the United States, through Secretary of State William Marcy, that the United States needed Cuba and they needed to take it from Spain. This event would kickstart the Caribbean expansionist incentive. The South was ecstatic about this idea since Cuba had slavery. However, it would cause tensions in the North since they did not support the spread of slavery. Their proposal ended up being rejected due to a lack of control (Britannica). -
Topeka Constitution
Antislavery supporters congregated in Topeka, wanting to create a document that would ban slavery in Kansas. The document was created in response to proslavery supporters having majority control over the region. The document successfully banned slavery in Kansas, however, left whether or not free blacks could live there up to the popular vote, which would occur later on. The Topeka Constitution was ratified on December 15, with the vast majority voting in favor of the document (Kansas Memory). -
Bleeding Kansas
Stephen Douglass’s Kansas-Nebraska Act left whether Kansas would enter the union as a slave or a free state up to the state. He believed that popular sovereignty would be the best way to handle the debate. This idea led to both sides pouring into Kansas. The territory then essentially broke out into a smaller battle between the two, causing many casualties; this would cause Kansas to have violence throughout the region, with bursts of violence frequently occurring after the event (History). -
Caning of Sumner
Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner's spirited speech about the business of slavery caused issues among those who supported it. A few days later, angered by the speech, South Carolina's Representative Preston Brooks beat him with his cane until Sumner was left unconscious and excessively bleeding on the floor of the Senate Chamber. Sumner would suffer permanent damage after the event. However, he would return in 1859 and, for fifteen years, would remain an essential part of the Senate (Senate). -
Pottawatomie Massacre
John Brown, a famous abolitionist, was so outraged by the caning of Senator Charles Sumner by Preston Brooks over an antislavery speech and the incident in Lawrence, Kansas, an antislavery region. His anger caused him, his five sons, and three others would go to three houses and brutally murder five pro-slavery supporters. This massacre would initiate the era of normalized violence in Kansas and lead to both sides using bloodshed to protest for their causes (Rein).