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Bear Flag Revolt
An uprising by American Settlers in Sonoma, California, against Mexican rule, a group of American insurgents, known as Bears, captured Sonoma. This group imprisoned a Mexican general and raised a white flag with a grizzly bear and a star that symbolized resilience and power. The red star was adding because California became a state without ever being a territory, just like Texas. "The treaty recognized the Rio Grande as the boundary of Texas and ceded New Mexico and California." (Varon,200) -
The Compromise of 1850
This Compromise was adopted by Congress in September 1850, this agreement allowed California to become a free state. "Only 2 percent of Deep South statesmen, by contrast, voted for California statehood." (Varon, 227) However, it did not regulate slavery in other territories gained from Mexico. The territories of New Mexico and Utah were also created. This agreement also strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act, which was necessary for Northerners to return escaped slaves to the South. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
"The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 legitimized and lent immediacy to an argument that abolitionists had long been making—that Northerners were complicit in the slave system." (Varon,235) The act made sure that escaped slaves would be returned to their slave owners, only if they were in a free state. The act also made the federal government responsible for finding and returned escaped slaves. This was an attempt to balance Southern interests in slavery with Northern Free-Soilers. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
"Harriet Beecher Stowe’s wildly popular 1852 novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, was written as a direct
response to the Fugitive Slave Act." (Varon,243) Uncle Tom was transported by boat to auction in New Orleans and saved the like of a young girl, Eva. Her father purchases Tom and they soon become great friends. The story shows the injustices of slavery and how the protagonist "Uncle Tom" escaped slavery and returned on several occasions to lead enslaved people out of slavery. -
The Election of 1852
In 1852, The Whig Party, chose as their standard-bearer war hero General Winfield Scott, whose campaign strategy maintained a perfect silence on the issues during this time. "This would permit the party to run distinct campaigns in the North and the South, pledging in the former not to abide by the Fugitive Slave Law and in the latter to uphold the finality of the 1850 Compromise." (Varon,248) After fighting for the election, democratic nominee, Franklin Pierce defeated General Winfield Scott. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act was meant to organize the territories of Nebraska and Kansas. It was a bill that mandated popular sovereignty, allowing settlers of a specific territory to decide whether slavery would be allowed within a new state's border. The act contributed to the growing divide between the North and South over slavery, dealing with the Fugitive Slave Act. "The Fugitive Slave Act for Northerners made ‘‘private citizens liable to impressments as slave catchers" (Varon,236") -
The Caning of Charles Sumner
This event refers to a brutal incident where South Carolina representative Preston Brooks attacked Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane. "Sumner said that the South Carolinian could ‘‘not open his mouth, but out Fugitive Slaves and Bleeding Kansas There flies a blunder.’’ (Varon,268) This caning was due to Sumner's speech which harshly attacked slavery and was specifically aimed towards Brooks. The event is considered an important moment leading up to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott v. Standford
The Supreme Court ruled that Americans of African descent were not considered American citizens and count not sue in federal court. The Court also decided that the power to ban slavery in the United States territories was not going to be given to Congress. "When Buchanan on inauguration day urged Americans to follow the Court’s lead on the question of slavery in the territories, he knew full well that Taney was about to issue a proslavery ruling in the case of Dred Scott." (Varon,300) -
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
Abolitionist, John Brown, planned the raid to supply weapons to freedom fighters and encourage local slaves to join him and his supporters. "Harpers Ferry was the site of a federal arsenal stocked with weapons; Brown imagined these in the hands of his band of liberators." (Varon,326) Brown's intention was to free enslaved people and give them the resources they needed to rebel and make the Southerners give up out of fear. -
The Election of Abraham Lincoln
This election was the breaking point for a nation that was already unstable. By 1861, Lincoln's inauguration, seven Southern states had left the Union and formed the confederate states of America. "At the same time, those Northerners who rejected Seward’s radicalism could embrace the pragmatic and moderate
position articulated by Lincoln." (Varon, 320) Lincoln's First inaugural Address was a please to prevent war, however this is ironic to what happened next.