-
Period: to
Pre-Civil War
The events leading up to the civil war. -
The American Colonization Society forms
This society represented the colonization of free colored people. It was founded by Charles Fenton Mercer, Henry Clay, John Randolph, and Richard Bland Lee to settle free slaves back into Africa. -
Missouri Compromise
An agreement between pro and anti-slavery groups within the U.S. that prohibited slavery in Louisiana. The House of Representatives refused the compromise and so a conference committee had to be appointed. -
The American Antislavery Society forms
This society was founded by William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan. Some slaves such as Frederick Douglass William Wells Brown were involved in the society. The society promoted a better life for slaves and was not accepted by everyone. -
The Liberty Party forms
It was a party that seperated from the American Anti-Slavery Society(AASS) to show that the constitution was against slavery. They broke away because The AASS believed that the constitution was a pro-slavery document that should be condemned. -
Mexican-American War starts
A war that began after the annexation of Texas. Mexico thought Texas was still theirs so they fought back. -
Wilmot Proviso
A proviso that would've banned slavery in land from Mexico, but some also wanted to include lands in South Texas and New Mexico. It passed in the House but it failed to pass the Senate because the south had more representation there. -
Free Soil Party forms
A political US party that lasted six years and consisted of members of the Whig and Democratic parties that were against slavery. They opposed the advancement of slavery to the west of the United States. -
California Gold Rush
People in Oregon, Hawaii, and Latin America were the first to come to California and look for the gold. 300,000 people came to look and half of them came by sea, the other half by land to the east. -
The Compromise of 1850
Five bills that ended a four-year argument between the slave states(South) and the free states(North). The argument was over territories gained by North and South from the Mexican-American War. The compromise was suggested by Henry Clay and it postponed civil war or conflict for four years. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is Published
The book is an anti-slavery story by an American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. It helped with the abolitionist cause in the 1850's and 300,000 U.S. copies were sold in the first year. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
An act that created the Kansas and Nebraska territories. It opened up the option to each state to decide if they wanted to allow slavery. -
The Sumner-Brooks Affair
The pro-slavery congressman Preston Brooks brutally attacked the anti-slavery senator Charles Sumner. The violence may have set a spark to the Civil War and although Sumner survived, he almost died from the wounds he had taken. -
The Dred Scott decision
A ruling that African Americans held as slaves weren't protected with the rights in the constitution because they were not citizens. The supreme court ruled that because slaves were not citizens, they couldn't sue or be taken from their owners without a process. -
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Seven debates between Lincoln and Douglas about issues Liuncoln would later face after his election. The issue mainly represented was slavery and the debates took place in seven of the nine congressional districts in Illinois. -
The Election of 1860
This was a United States presidential election right before the outbreak of the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln was the victor against the three other candidates: John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and Stephen A. Douglass.
