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Invention of cotton gin
On March 14th,1794 the patient for the cotton gin was made. Eli whitney made what would later become very instrumental to the south. He made the cotton gin which up until that point cotton had to be separated from its seeds. The cotton gin proved to eliminate the need for the cotton to be separated by hand and was done by the cotton gin. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri compromise was a legislation passed by the president James Monroe to keep the balance between the north states and the south states. Maine`s admission as a state brought up a debate of the number of southern states to the number of northern states and as a result the compromise was that Missouri would enter the country as a slave state to balance the number of free and slave states in the United States. -
The Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a law proposed that would ban slavery from land acquired from the Mexican-American War. This was proposed by David Wilmot on August 18th, 1846 to the United States House of Representatives. The bill passed the house but would later fail to pass the senate. The bill was reintroduced in February 1847 with the bill passing the house again but also failing to pass the senate again.
http://www.history.com/topics/wilmot-proviso -
The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a series of houses and safe spots for slaves looking to head north for freedom. Although the name gives the image of a secret passage underground or even a secret train that leads a slave to freedom it was actually people who were anti-slavery and wanted to aid the slaves by giving them shelter,food,etc. The use for the Underground Railroad became instrumental in helping slaves escape to the North or even Canada if one decided to go that far. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Is Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by author Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book was published in 1852 and the book was considered to have "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War". This book opened many northerners eyes about slavery and what it is like leading many northerners who read it that were otherwise unaware of what really happened in slavery and made national attention in the North. So much that Lincoln himself considered the book a main cause of the civil war. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent political confrontations in the United States between 1854 and 1861 which was a due to the Missouri Compromise being revoked due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The main question was that of whether Kansas would allow or outlaw slavery. They would come to the conclusion that the settlers would make the choice and not the travelers.
http://www.history.com/topics/bleeding-kansas -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed on May 30th 1854.This act allowed people in territories of Kansas and Nebraska to choose for themselves whether they want slavery in their states or not. This also served as a repeal of the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The pro slavery people and anti slavery people rushed into the territories to try to get the state slavery or non slavery. Kansas was carried by the pro slavery people. this resulted in Kansas not becoming a state until much later. -
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The Lincoln Douglas Debate
The Lincoln–Douglas debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas. During this time in history U.S senators were elected by state legislative. Lincoln and Douglas were trying to win control for the parties they belong with for control over the districts in Illinois. They Abraham and Stephen decided to hold one debate in each of the districts. This resulted in the Lincoln Douglas Debates. -
The Dread Scott Decision
Dread Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom. Scott claimed that he & his wife should be granted their freedom as they had lived in Illinois & the Wisconsin Territory for four years where slavery was illegal. The Supreme Court ruling was 7-2 resulting in him losing the case. Scott's temporary residence outside Missouri also did not bring about his emancipation under the Missouri Compromise.
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/dred-scott-decision -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was the election where Abraham Lincoln won. He ran against John C. Breckinridge. Lincolns vice president was John Bell and Johns vice president was Stephen A. Douglas. Lincoln won with the electoral vote of 180 and carried 3 states. His opponent had the electoral votes of 72 and carried 11 states.
http://www.ushistory.org/us/32d.asp -
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The Secession of Southern States
On December 20th,1860 South Carolina secedes from the United States of America leading to the secession of other southern states. On January 9th,1861 Mississippi also secedes from the United States. Then Florida on January 10th, Alabama on January 11th, Georgia on January 19th, Louisiana on January 26, Texas on February 1 all secede in 1861. This angered the government and it to be stopped by any means and this proved to be true when the first civil war engagement took place on April 12th, 1821. -
Fort Sumter is fired upon
On April 12th, 1861 the south or known by then as the Confederates fired upon Fort Sumter which is located in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. Once South Carolina seceded on December 20th, 1860 they demanded that the fort be returned to them but the union refused. The south decided to attack fort Sumter at 4:00 A.M for what would later be 33 hours. Although cannons were shot and guns were fired no one was killed except two officers who died due to cartridges exploding prematurely.
