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The End of the Mexican War/ Treaty of Guadalupe and Hidalgo
After the war ended in 1848 the US signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the US was given western territories. This caused a problem of whether they would be free states or not and this would be what would cause all the events to go down in the 1850s. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was an act that called for California to be admission as a "free state", which also provided a territorial Government in Utah and New Mexico This would also create a boundary between Texas and the United States. This act would also call for the abolition of the slave trade in Washington, DC and amended the Fugitive Slave Act.
https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/compromise-of-1850 -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe as a direct response to the Fugitive Slave Act. She was inspired from her years of living in Ohio and seeing first hand bounty hunters carrying escaped black men back into captivity. The story became huge and sold many copies as it became her protest against slavery but she would receive much backlash from the people in the pro slavery movement. (Varon 243-46) -
Kansas- Nebraska Act of 1854
This was an act that would repeal the Missouri Compromise, created new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. This brought back the struggle of having slavery in the western territories. This is what would cause "Bleeding Kansas".
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Kansas_Nebraska_Act.htm -
Bleeding Kansas
A period in time where Kansas was constantly having violent attacks between the anti-slavery movement and the pro-slavery movement. This was an outcome from the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 as both sides went west trying to swing the vote in their sides direction. The two sides were unable to create peace between each other and by the time the summer of 1856 rolled along Kansas was in a full-scale guerrilla war.(Varon 266-68) -
The Caning of Charles Sumner
After the murder spree happening in Kansas abolitionist senator Charles Sumner gave a speech called "The Crime Against Kansas". 2 days later, he was beaten at his desk with a cane by a pro-slavery congressman Preston Brooks because of what he had said in his speech to congress, therefore, growing the issues between the two sides. (Varon 268-69) -
The Lincoln- Douglas debates
These debates were in 1858 between the Incumbent Stephen Douglass and the Republican Candidate Abraham Lincoln. In these debates, Lincoln stated the wrongs of slavery and was against it but Douglass said "always best left to local areas to decide". -
John Brown Raids Harpers Ferry
John Brown led a group of 17 men including 5 black men to raid an arsenal in Harpers Ferry. His goal was to start an uprising led by enslaved men by using the weapons they captured. After taking a few buildings Brown's men were surrounded and either imprisoned or killed. This led to growing support for the black activist movement. (Mcpherson 206) -
Election of 1860
On Nov. 6 1860 after the election ended with Abraham Lincoln winning this led to South Carolina and 6 other states followed them by seceding from the Union. Lincoln agreed with the republican party that the south was becoming too strong and that enslavement would not be allowed in any new territories that joined the Union so this is why the south seceded. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
Confederate soldiers attack a United States military garrison and after two days of fighting the fort is surrendered and this is the beginning of the Civil War.