-
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel published in 1852 showing anti-slavery views. It followed the lives of enslaved people from the time, most importantly, a man named Uncle Tom. It showed brutal sufferings for the slaves, and exposed the inhumanity of the idea of holding slaves. It fueled the civial war greatly. When Abraham Lincoln met Stowe in 1862, he famously referred to her as "the little lady who made this big war." -
Republican party
After the Whig Party's desolvation, a new party was formed to go against the Democratic Party. This was the Republican Party in 1854. They were opposed to the expansion of slavery, especially after the Kansas-Nebraska Act eventually was signed. They emerged from a coalition of abolitionists, former Whigs, free soilers, and anti-slavery democrats. Key figures of this party include Abraham Lincoln, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Charles Sumner, and Thaddeus Stevens. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Senator Stephen A. Douglass created this Act which allowed settlers to vote to allow slavery using "popular sovereignty." Signed by President Franklin Pierce, it allowed citizens of Nebraska and Kansas to vote for whether or not slavery should be legal. This led to many consequences, including Bleeding Kansas. This repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and further deepened the cut between North and South. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
Massachusetts senator, Charles Sumner, had delivered a "fiery speech" insulting slavery and pro-slavery senators, including Congressmen, Preston Brooks' relative. In revenge, Brooks attacked Sumner with his cane on the Senate floor in May of 1856. Brooks whacked Sumner until his cane broke, then continued to attack him with the broken cane, nearly killing Sumner. This shocked the nation and greatly polarized it. -
Election of 1856
This election was between Democrat, James Buchanan, Republican John C. Fremont, and Know-Nothing Millard Fillmore. Buchanan won the election, but strong showings from Fremont showed the increase in power from the Republican party and anti-slavery beliefs. Later named one of the worst presidents, Buchanan would only run one term, not doing much to stop a looming civil war. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott was an enslaved man who sued for his freedom in the late 1840s. Scott had been living with his owner, enslaved, in free territories, and believed that this allowed him to be free. He took this to the supreme court, which ruled that congress had no authority to prohibit slavery due to it being considered as taking one's property, which was unconstitutional. This heightened the tensions and led the nation closer to the civil war. -
LeCompton Constitution
The LeCompton Constitution was a pro-slavery constitution for Kansas that was proposed in 1857. This would allow slavery into the state, and was supported by President James Buchanan, but was ultimately rejected after a national controversy. -
House Divided Speech
Delivered by Lincoln, this speech was spoken after he had won the Illinois Republican nomination for Senate. He had warned that the nation couldn't endure a divided stance on such a large issue. In it, he said the famous quote, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." He argued that the Nation would have to submit to only being pro or anti-slavery. This enhanced Lincoln's position as a key anti-slavery figure, and republican. -
Lincoln-Douglass Debates
The Lincoln-Douglass Debates were held from August 21st to October 15th, 1858, and were a series of debates for Illinois senate seats. They focused primarily on slavery, and enhanced Lincoln's view as a national figure for anti-slavery. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown, a powerful abolitionist, decided to hold his raid at Harper's Ferry in 1859. He attempted to seize the federal armory to arm the enslaved people for an uprising against their owners. They captured the armory but were quickly put down by U.S. Marines, led by Robert E. Lee. Brown was captured, tired, and executed via hanging. This polarized the nation more. -
John Brown
John Brown was an anti-slavery abolitionist. He believed that violence would help him reach his goals, and led a raid on the federal armory at Harper's Ferry in 1859. He was driven by the belief that God was fully against slavery. He was executed on December 2nd, 1859 and seen as a hero to the North. -
Election 1860
The election of 1860 was very important for Americans. The candidates were Republican Abraham Lincoln, Northern Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, and Constitutional Unionist John Bell. Lincoln's name had not even been on the ballot in many states, despite him winning. Lincoln's victory prompted several proslavery states to secede from the union and start teh civil war. -
Secession
Proslavery states, following Abraham Lincoln's anti-slavery sentimate, declared their secession from the union. Starting with South Carolina, the order went: Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, georgia, Louisiana, and Texas. These states started the war, and fought the battle of Fort Sumter in 1861. This marked the start of the American Civil War in South Carolina. fter this, 4 states that had hesitated to seceseed, seceeeded, including Virginai, Arkansas, Tennessee, and North Carolina, in order. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860, and delivered his inaugural address at his inauguration. In it he reassured the South he would not take away their slaves, and that no state was able to secede on their own. He called for unity, and peace.