Events leading up to the civil war.

  • MIssouri Compromise

    MIssouri Compromise
    The Missouri Compromise was a piece of legislation that divided the states into either a free or slave states along the 36th parallel.
  • Nat Turner Rebellion

    Nat Turner Rebellion
    Nat Turner led a group of men who killed 60 slave owners and believed god sent him to end slavery, the revolt led to stronger restrictions on slaves across the south.
  • The Wilmot Proviso

    The Wilmot Proviso
    A legal proposal to prevent slavery from expanding as the United States grew its territory.
  • Mexican-American War

    Mexican-American War
    Disputes over the land that was annexed from Mexico in regards to its status as a slave or free state.
  • Gold Rush of California

    Gold Rush of California
    White southern slave owners started bringing slaves to California to mine gold.
  • Harriett Tubman and Underground Railroad

    Harriett Tubman and Underground Railroad
    Harriott Tubman was a social activist who helped over 70 slaves travel the "Underground Railroad" and escape slavery.
  • Compromise of 1850

    Compromise of 1850
    California was admitted as a free state, Other previously Mexican states would not mention slavery, so the fugitive slave act was put in place.
  • Fugitive Slave Act

    Fugitive Slave Act
    The Fugitive Slave Act allowed slaves to be retuned to their owners even if they were in a free state.
  • Uncle Tom’s Cabin

    Uncle Tom’s Cabin
    Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a book that when published, opened the eyes of many to the terrible realities of the conditions faced in slavery.
  • Bleeding Kansas

    Bleeding Kansas
    A fight across the western portion of the United States at the time between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces. And the movement of people to sway a vote on slavery.
  • Kansas-Nebraska Act

    Kansas-Nebraska Act
    Repealed the Missouri Compromise, and made the Kansas and Nebraska territories, the vote was left to the people regarding the status of these places as free or slave.
  • Dred Scott V. Sanford

    Dred Scott V. Sanford
    A court decision that slaves of African descent were not American citizens, as well as their children.
  • Lincoln-Douglas Debates

    Lincoln-Douglas Debates
    Seven debates between Lincon and Douglas, these debates mostly focus on the expansion of slavery on the U.S. territory.
  • John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry

    John Brown’s Raid on Harpers Ferry
    A raid on a stockpile in Virginia, in an attempt to start a slave revolt in the south.
  • Presidential Election of 1860

    Presidential Election of 1860
    Lincoln won the election, he had already abolished slavery in the northernmost states.
  • South Carolina Secedes from the Union

    South Carolina Secedes from the Union
    Lincoln winning the election led to calls for slaveholding southern states whos economies relied on slavery to leave the union.