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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that highlighted the division of the north and the south on the issue of slavery. The book was popular in the North and tightened tensions between the two sides. -
Kansas Nebraska act
The Kansas Nebraska act was thought up by Stephan Douglas and created the two territories Kansas and Nebraska and allowed these new territories to decide themselves if they wanted slavery through "popular sovereignty" This act ultimately caused more tension and led to a "Bloody Kansas" that would bring us closer to war. -
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Bloody Kansas
A time span of division in the Kansas territory over whether or not slavery should be legal in Kansas. The North and South fought for their respective beliefs in the territory as one more state on either side could help tip the scales of the mostly balanced debate. -
The Republican Party
The Republican party was an anti-slavery political party that dominated the North in the 1850's following the Kansas Nebraska act. -
John Brown
John Brown was a bold abolitionist that led a small party to attack a federal armory, Harper's Ferry, and steal weapons to arm slaves in hopes to free them. His attack failed and he was charged with treason and killed. -
Brooks vs Sumner Worldstar
Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery senator, took a cane and beat Charles Sumner, an abolitionist, to the point of breaking the cane and subjecting Sumner to permanent brain damage. Pro-slavery advocates found humor in the situation, sending Sumner canes in order to "arm him" against the abolitionists, but abolitionists found the interaction shocking. -
Election of 1856
Democratic James Buchanan wins the election against John Fremont. This was a Southern victory that only built tensions further leading to civil war. -
Dred Scott
The Dred Scott court case debated whether or not freed African Americans were citizens, and whether or not African Americans who were in free territory were free. The court ruled that African Americans were not free just for making it to free territory, and that free African Americans were not considered citizens. This was a landmark case that the North hated, and it further divided the nation. -
LeCompton Constitution
The LeCompton Constitution was a state constitution written by pro-slave advocates in Kansas that allowed slavery in the territory. Abolitionists in the area were very much against this, it lead to further conflict in the area and increased tensions leading to the Civil War. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debate
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of seven debates that highlighted some of the most consequential issues in American history. The republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln, was selected by the senate while the democratic party selected Stephan Douglas as their candidate. Douglas wanted to allow slavery in the new territories but Lincoln wanted to stop the expansion of slavery, but he was not going to force current slave states to turn free. -
House Divided Speech
Abraham Lincoln's famous line "a house divided against itself cannot change" came from this speech. He meant that the United States cannot stay united until this issue was resolved. He warned that at some point soon all states would have to come to an agreement, and as an abolitionist, this was seen by some as a warning, or even a threat, to the South. -
Harpers Ferry
John Brown gathered around 20 men to steal weapons from a US armory in order to arm slaves for a rebellion. The raid failed, leading to the death of John Brown and 10 of his men. It is sometimes referred to as the dress rehearsal of the civil war, as it is a violent conflict that increased tensions leading to the civil war. -
Secession
Secession describes the eleven slave states breaking away, or succeeding from the union and forming the Confederate State of America in 1860. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was a four way contest in which Abraham Lincoln, who was a former Whig and opposed slavery, won and directly led to the civil war -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
The inaugural address of Lincoln's first election. He warned vaguely at the nation becoming a free state soon, which lead closer to the civil war.