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Missouri Compromise (1820)
In 1818, Missouri sought admission to the Union as a slave-holding state. After two years of bitter debate, the Missouri Compromise was agreed upon. This compromise admitted Missouri to the Union as a slave state and admitted Maine as a free state to maintain the balance in the Senate. The compromise prohibited slavery north of latitude 36* 30' in the Louisiana Purchase territory, with the exception of Missouri, and allowed it south of that line. -
Tariff of 1828 (1828)
Congress passed the Tariff of 1828. known as the "Tariff of Abominations." The tariff earned this nickname because it made foreign products expensive for people to buy, especially if they did not have industry in their region producing similar items. This was the case in the South, which mainly produced raw materials. The tariff also meant less money went to foreign countries, which then bought fewer raw materials, such as cotton, from the South. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion (1831)
Nat Turner, a slave, along with about 60 other slaves led a violent rebellion that resulted in the deaths of more than 50 Virginians. Nat and many others were executed for their part, or suspected part, in the revolt. Nat Turner's Rebellion struck long-term fear in the hearts of slave owners, which caused them to place new restrictions on slaves and prompted a national debate on the slavery question. -
The Tariff of 1832
Also known as the Compromise Tariff, the Tariff of 1832 was passed by Congress in an attempt to appease the South after the Tariff of 1828. Unsatisfied, John C. Calhoun resigned from the vice presidency and South Carolina issues an Ordinance of Nullification, which declared both tariffs unconstitutional and would not be honored within the sovereign state of South Carolina. President Andre Jackson issues his Proclamation Regarding Nullification, explaining its unconstitutionality and promising to -
The Tariff of 1832
promising to use military force, if necessary. South Carolina repeals the Ordinance of Nullification after a new tariff is passed. -
Compromise of 1850
Disagreements erupted over whether land acquired from Mexico after the Mexican-American War would become slave or free states. The compromise admitted California as a free state, and the inhabitants of the territories of New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah would be allowed to decide whether or not to permit slavery in their territories when they applied for statehood. The compromise included the Fugitive Slave Act, which denied captured blacks legal power to prove -
Compromise of 1850
Slave Act, which denied captured blacks legal power to prove their freedom and required U.S. marshals and deputies to help slave owners capture their property. The compromise also ended the slave trade in the District of Columbia. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
Published in response to the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, it had sold two million copies worldwide within two years of being published. After the bible, Uncle Tom's Cabin was the highest selling book of the 19th century. President Lincoln read Uncle Tom's Cabin before announcing the Emancipation Proclamation in 1862, and when he met Stowe, he exclaimed, "So this is the little women who started this great war!" -
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852)
exclaimed, "So this is the little woman who started this great war!" -
Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)
This act repealed the Missouri Compromise, which said that states north of the latitude 36* 30' would be free states. This allowed settlers in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether they would allow slavery within their borders when they applied for statehood. The Kansas-Nebraska Act split the Democratic Party and virtually destroyed the Whig Party. The northern Whigs joined the antislavery Democrats to form the Republican Party. -
"Bleeding Kansas" (1856)
Disagreements over whether slavery should be allowed in Kansas led to violence among settlers. -
Dred Scott Decision (1857)
Dred Scott, a slave, sued for his freedom on the grounds that since his master had taken him to live in free territories, he should be free. The controversial decision of the U.S. Supreme Court stated that no slave or descendant of a slave could be a U.S. citizen. As a non-citizen and a slave viewed as property, Scott was not entitled to file suit. The Court also ruled that Congress had no power to exclude slavery from the territories; therefore, the Missouri Compromise and other legislation -
Dred Scott Decision (1857)
territories; therefore, the Missouri Compromise and other legislation limiting slavery were unconstitutional. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858)
These debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, sponsor of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, were primarily over the issue of slavery. The debates forged Lincoln into a prominent national figure and solidified his Republican Party's antislavery platform. -
John Brown's Raid (1859)
John Brown and 22 other men raided the town of Harpers Ferry, Virginia, hoping to arm and free slaves. Brown and his raiders captured many of the town's most important citizens and held them hostage. Withing 24 hours, Brown was captured and convicted of treason, murder, and conspiracy to incite slave rebellion. He was hanged that December.
