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Mormons arrived in Utah's Great Salt Lake Valley
After completing a nearly thousand mile journey west Brigham Young and his LDS church followers arrived in Utah's Great Salt Lake Valley. This was seen by Mormons as their new promised land and they sent word back east of that a new homeland was found. Roughly 70,000 people set out to make the journey west to Utah. Mormons established settlements throughout the region and later were key players in the construction of the First transcontinental railroad. -
1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican-American War and transferred a huge swath of land in the modern American Southwest to the United States. Mexico gave up all claims on Texas and the United States payed out the debts of the American citizens that lived in Texas. This additional land became a major point of contention between abolitionist and pro-slavery elements in society. -
France abolishes slavery in its West Indies colonies. 1848
During the Second Republic slavery was permanently abolished in both France and it's colonies. Gabon was founded as a settlement for newly emancipated slaves. Britain the other largest colonial power had abolished slavery in 1834. Upon abolishing slavery Britain had campaigned successfully across the globe to end the slave trade and suppress it where it was found. As more governments abolished slavery increasing pressure was put on the United States to do the same. -
Women’s Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York
This meeting is consider the launching point for the suffragist movement and was followed by many other women's rights conventions in the coming years. Frederick Douglass was in attendance since he saw abolition and emancipation of women as being related issues. The convention produced the 'Declaration of Sentiments' which was a document that called for women's right to have an education and job opportunities. Women's suffrage was added to the bill but not unanimously approved by attendees. -
Free Soil Party’s founded in Buffalo New York
The Free Soil Party was an anti-slavery party which lasted from 1848-1854 when it merged into the Republican Party. "The Free-Soil Party platform advocated the nonextension of slavery rather than its immediate abolition, and refrained from asserting the equality of blacks with whites" (Varon, 202). Free labor ideology played a big role in shaping the party's politics as seen in Free Soil politician Wilmot Proviso. Proviso sought to expand the free labor system into the western territories. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of 5 laws that tried to resolve the issue slavery in new territories gained after the Mexican-American War. California was admitted as a free state, a new fugitive slave act was passed, the slave trade was banned in Washington D.C. but didn't ban slavery itself there, the border of Texas and new Mexico was clarified and the territorial government of Utah was established with its slave or free status being left up to the state. -
Publication of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” 1852
Uncle Tom's Cabin was an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It was an extremely popular and influential book in its period spreading the message of abolition woman's rights and other messages across the country, "Northern anti-abolitionists and proslavery Southerners saw her as the very embodiment of radicalism, as an emissary of both abolitionism and woman’s right" (Varon, 245). In response to this book Aunt Phillis's Cabin by Mary Eastman was write which glorifies slavery. -
Commodore Matthew Perry arrives in Tokyo Bay
In 1852 Commodore Matthew Perry was tasked by President Millard Fillmore with ending Japanese isolation and opening its ports up to trade with the United States. Upon reaching Japan he gave a letter to Japanese government officials urging them open up trade, to drive the point home he fired off a salvo of blanks from 73 cannons. Upon his return half a year later the Kanagawa Treaty was signed, this marked the end of nearly 200 years of Japanese isolationism. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act 1854
This act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed the residents of the territories to vote to allow slavery or not. This led to violence in Kansas as pro and anti slavery factions attacked one another. "...this law may have been the most important single event pushing the nation toward civil war. Kansas-Nebraska finished off the Whig party and gave birth to a new, entirely northern Republican party" (McPherson, 121). This act created deep divisions across the nation. -
First Transatlantic Telegraph cable completed
First Transatlantic Telegraph cable allowed for same day communications across the Atlantic for the first time in history. The first message transmitted across the channel was from Queen Victoria sending a congratulatory message to President James Buchanan. The success of the first cable was short lived, due to the frustratingly slow speed of the cable, operators attempted to increase voltage of the cable to speed up messages. This compromised the insulation of the cable leading it's failure. -
Oregon enters Union as the 33rd State
Oregon was admitted as an anti-slavery state in 1859. It was the only state to be admitted into the union with an "exclusionary clause." This clause passed the territorial legislature in 1849 and it prohibited "…negro or mulatto to enter into, or reside within the limits of this Territory.” There was however an exception for people of color and their children who already were living in the territory. Several other laws also disenfranchised non-white residents in the territrory. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown was a staunch abolitionist who fought in bleeding Kansas. He thought that by attacking the federal armory at Harpers Ferry he could inspire a slave rebellion and liberate the slaves. His raid failed and instead caused great alarm in the South. "Newspaper after newspaper claimed, as the Richmond Enquirer did, that 'the Harpers Ferry invasion has advanced the cause of disunion more than any other event.’"(Varon, 329). After this militias were formed to guard against slave revolts.