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Missouri Compromise
The legislation allowed Missouri and Maine to be slave states simultaneously, maintaining the balance between slave and free states, and outlawed slavery in the Louisiana Territory. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
Turner and his followers killed his master's family and marched throughout Southampton County, Virginia, killing 55 people before white authorities crushed the revolt, avoiding capture for nearly two months. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War (1846-1848) was a conflict between the United States and Mexico, arising from the annexation of Texas and the dispute over its endpoint. -
The Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso, an 1846 Congress proposal to ban slavery in Mexican-American War territory, was a significant conflict leading to the American Civil War. -
The California Gold Rush
The California gold rush (1848-1855) began with gold discovery by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, attracting 300,000 people from the US and abroad. -
Harriet Tubman and Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman, a renowned Underground Railroad conductor, escorted over 300 slaves to freedom in 19 trips over ten years, ensuring no passenger loss. -
Compromise of 1850
The acts aimed to grant California a "free state," establish a territorial government for Utah and New Mexico, establish a border between Texas and the US, abolish the slave trade. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, part of the Compromise of 1850, mandated the federal government to find, return, and try escaped slaves, even in free states. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin published
Uncle Tom's Cabin tells the story of a saintly, dignified, noble, and steadfast enslaved man who saves the life of Little Eva, who is later purchased by his grateful father. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, passed in 1854, abolished the Missouri Compromise, established new territories, and granted popular sovereignty, leading to the violent "Bleeding Kansas" uprising. -
Bleeding Kansas
Kansas was occupied by pro-slavery, Free-Staters, and abolitionist groups, leading to violence until 1861 when Kansas became a free state, a period known as Bleeding Kansas. -
Dred Scott V. Sanford
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that enslaved individuals were not US citizens and therefore, could not expect federal government or court protection. -
Lincoln-Douglass Debates
Lincoln-Douglas debates, lasting three hours, pitted Lincoln against Douglas, highlighting radical radicalism and slavery's immorality. Douglas secured Senate seat, but alienated Democrats, losing influential party leadership position. -
John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
On October 16, 1859, John Brown and his supporters attacked Harpers Ferry, capturing prominent citizens and seizing the federal armory and arsenal. -
Presidential Election of 1860
The Republican Party, led by Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin, won a national popular plurality, a popular majority in the North where slavery had been abolished, and a national electoral majority.