Road to Civil War

  • Missouri Compromise

    This was a law that was passed in 1787. This law stated if a state was added to the north one must be added to the south and vice versa.
  • The Nullification Crisis

    This was a statement that said that the tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional.
  • Death of Clay, Calhoun, and Webster

    All three died during this time and left a great wake behind them.
  • Compromise Tariff

    Proposed by Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun in an attempted to resolve the Nullification Crisis.
  • Wilmot's Proviso

    Thought up and proposed by David Wilmot, this was a proposed plan that made all lands gained from Mexico after the Mexican-American war were Free states. This was passed by the house but not the senate and it never became a bill.
  • Popular Sovereignty

    A term made up by Lewis Cass of Michigan. The proposal was let the territories decide if they wanted to be a slave or a free state.
  • Election of 1848

    The election of 1848 was between Lewis Cass (Dem.) and Zachary Taylor (Rep.). In the end Taylor won the election.
  • Compromise of 1850

    After many years the compromise made up by Clay became a law. California was a free state for the north and the south go no slave restrictions in Utah or New Mexico.
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act

    Thought up by Stephen Douglas, this had each new territory decide what they wanted to be either a slave or a free state.
  • Border Ruffians

    David Atchison led 1,700 men to vote in Kansas for proslavery. These men also threatened to shoot, hang or burn any person who was not for slavery.
  • South Secedes

    The south secedes from the US and becomes the Confederacy