-
VA-KY Resolutions
Put in practice by Jefferson and James Madison, the resolutions were secretly made to get the rights back that were taken away by the Alien and Sedition Acts. The alien and sedation laws took away freedom of speech and press which were guaranteed by the Bill of Rights. These resolutions also led to the compact theory, which gave the states more power than the federal government. -
Missouri Compromise
Was a United States federal statute devised by Henry Clay. It regulated slavery in the country's western territories by prohibiting the practice in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30′ north, except within the boundaries of the proposed state of Missouri. Its effects included Missouri being admitted as a slave state and slavery being exuded from all new states north of Missouri's southern boundary. -
Tariff of Abominations
An extremely high tariff (45%) that Jacksonian Democrats tried to get Adams to veto. The tariffs then caused a sectional split and began the nullification crisis led by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina. This greatly effected the south as cotton and other item's prices plummeted while merchandise they bought was heavily taxed. -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a sectional crisis during the presidency of Andrew Jackson created by South Carolina's 1832 Ordinance of Nullification. The ordinance stated hat the federal Tariff of 1828 and the federal Tariff of 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the sovereign boundaries of South Carolina. The tariffs of abomination were enacted during the presidency of John Quincy Adams. -
Formation of the We Know Nothing Party
The Know-Nothing party was an outgrowth of the strong anti-immigrant as well as an anti-Roman Catholic sentiment that started to manifest itself during the 1840s. A rising tide of immigrants, primarily Germans in the Midwest and Irish in the East, seemed to pose a threat to the economic and political security of native-born Protestant Americans. -
Wilmot Proviso
In 1848, the main dispute was over whether or not any Mexican territory that America had won during the
Mexican War should be free or a slave territory. David Wilmot, US rep, introduced an amendment stating that any territory acquired from Mexico would be free. This amendment passed the House twice , but failed to ever pass in Senate. The "Wilmot Proviso", became a symbol of how intense the dispute over slavery was in the U.S. -
Formation of the Free Soil Party
It was a party committed against the extension of slavery in the territories and one that also advocated federal aid for internal
improvements. The party also urged the concept of government homestead for settlers. This was a very short lived political party -
Compromise of 1850
Signed by Millard Fillmore, the compromise dealt with controversy of whether California should join as a free state. Effects included California joining as a free state, and what was left of the Mexican Cession land became New Mexico and Utah, which did not restrict slavery. The South then got the Mexican Cession lands which were open to popular sovereignty and a tougher Fugitive Slave Law. The compromise seem to have benefited the North more than the South -
Fugitive Slave Act 1850
The law states that slaves who escaped could not testify in their behalf and were not allowed a trial by jury. If the judge in the case freed the slave, the judge would receive five dollars, if not he would get ten dollars. Officers were expected to help catch runaway slaves while those found helping slaves would be fined or jailed. This added to the rage in the Northern states. -
Uncle Toms Cabin
Uncle Tom's cabin was a popular book that awakened the
passions of the North toward the evils of slavery. The book is about the splitting up of a slave family and the cruel mistreatment of like-able Uncle Tom by a cruel slave master. This book upset the south since they claim that its portrayal of slavery was wrong and unfair. -
Underground Railroad
a network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century enslaved people of African descent in the United States. This concept was made in efforts to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The railroad was a secret chain of anti-slavery homes at which slaves were hidden and taken to the north. -
Bleeding Kansas (Kansas Nebraska Act)
Bleeding Kansas is the term used to describe the period of violence during the settling of the Kansas territory. The Kansas- Nebraska act overturn the MIssouri Compromise use of latitude as the boundary between slave and free territory. Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent political confrontation in the US involving anti-slavery "Free- Staters" and pro- slavery "border Ruffian" or southern yankees elements in kansas. -
Brooks- Sumner Fight
Charles Sumner gave a two day speech on the Senate floor. He denounced the South for crimes against Kansas and singled out Senator Andrew Brooks of South Carolina for extra abuse. Brooks beat Sumner over the head with his cane, severely crippling him. -
Election of 1856
Democrats nominated Buchanan, Republicans nominated Fremont, and Know-Nothings chose Fillmore. Buchanan won due to his support of popular sovereignty. Democrat James Buchanan defeated Republican John C. Frémont with 174 electoral votes to Frémont's 114. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave whose master took him north into free states where he lived for many years. After his master’s death, he sued for his freedom from his new master, claiming that he had been in free territory and was therefore free. The Missouri Supreme Court agreed, freeing him. But his new master appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, which overruled the decision of freeing him. This resulted in the court saying that no slave could go free since it would go against the 5th amendment. -
Le Compton Constitution
It provided that the people were only allowed to vote for the
constitution “with slavery” or “without slavery.” Although, even if the constitution was passed “without slavery,” those slaveholders already in the state would still be protected. So, slaves would be in Kansas, despite the voting happening. It also only allowed male citizens to vote. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown of Kansas attempted to create a major revolt among
the slaves. He wanted to ride down the river and provide the slaves with arms from the Northern arsenal, which failed due to organization methods. Effects of the raid induced the South seeing the act as one of treason which encouraged the need to separate from the U.S while the North saw Brown as a martyr to the abolitionist cause. -
Election of 1860
Lincoln, the Republican candidate, won because the Democratic party was split over slavery. As a result, the South no longer felt like it has a voice in politics and a number of states seceded from the Union. This caused the south to be upset since the discussion over slavery was significant in Lincolns point of view. -
South Carolina Secedes
When the ordinance was adopted on December 20, 1860, South Carolina became the first slave state in the south to declare that it had seceded from the United States. James Buchanan, the United States president, declared the ordinance illegal but did not act to stop it. -
Fort Sumter
First shots of the Civil War took place here in Charleston harbor in South Carolina. It became a symbol of the South's rebellion against the federal government. Where south Carolina seceded from the union.
