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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, it had declared a policy to prohibit slavery in the remaining land of the Louisiana Purchase, north of the 36°30′ parallel. This further created tension between the North and the South over slavery expansion. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
The Nat Turner Rebellion was fought in Southampton County, Virginia, on August 21-23, 1831. Led by Nat Turner, a group of enslaved African Americans rebelled against slavery and killed between 55 and 65 white people. This is known to be the deadliest slave rebellion in U.S. history. This was an eye-opening event for many people across the county, but unfortunately did not make expanding slavery any harder for those in support. -
Mexican-American War
The Mexican-American War was an invasion of Mexico by the United States Army from 1846 to 1848. The U.S. gained more than 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory westward from the Rio Grande to the Pacific Ocean. The war stemmed from the annexation of the Republic of Texas by the U.S. in 1845 and whether Texas ended at the Nueces River or the Rio Grande. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo set the Rio Grande as the border signed by Mexico and the United States on Feb. 2, 1848. -
The Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso added to James Polk's appropriations bill, which allotted two million dollars to acquire land from Mexico. This banned the practice of slavery in any territory bought with these funds by Mexico, but was unsuccessful. This bill was never passed. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas, Bloody Kansas, or the Border War was a series of violent civil confrontations in Kansas Territory, and to a lesser extent in western Missouri, between 1854 and 1859. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the legality of slavery in the proposed state of Kansas. These acts of warfare significantly shaped American politics and contributed to the coming of the Civil War. -
Harriet Tubman & the Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad contributed to the growing tensions leading to the Civil War by directly facilitating the escape of enslaved people from the South, which angered slave owners and further divided the nation by highlighting the injustices of slavery.Harriet began her escape journey in 1849 and ended up passing in 1913 -
Fugitive Slave Act
Passed on September 18, 1850 by Congress, The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was part of the Compromise of 1850. The act required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. The act also made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of measures proposed by U.S. Senator Henry Clay and passed by the U.S. Congress to settle several issues connected to slavery and avert the threat of dissolution of the Union. The acts called for the admission of California as a "free state," provided for a territorial government for Utah and New Mexico, established a boundary between Texas and the United States, called for the abolition of slave trade in Washington, DC, and amended the Fugitive Slave Act -
Uncle Tom's Cabin published
The book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, focuses on the struggles of a slave, Tom, who has been sold various times and has to endure physical brutality by slave drivers and his masters. One of Stowe's central themes is that Tom, despite his suffering, remained steadfast to his Christian beliefs. -
Gold Rush in California 1848-1849
The California Gold Rush began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California.This led to the establishment of boomtowns, rapid economic growth and prosperity, as well as the building of railroads, churches and banks to accommodate the newcomers. The influx of miners brings diseases that kill thousands of Native people. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
It became law on May 30, 1854. The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. It also produced a violent uprising known as “Bleeding Kansas,” as proslavery and antislavery activists flooded into the territories to sway the vote.