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road to civil war
The American Civil War happened after decades of regional conflict, focused on the central issue of slavery in America, threatened to split the Union. -
Hartford Convention
Completely opposed to the War the 1812, The Federalist Party held a convention in order to make their claims heard. At the convention, held in Hartford, Connecticut, the Federalists introduced ideas such as the limitation of congressional war making and a single-term presidency -
Missouri Compromise
As part of the compromise, slavery was prohibited north -
Tariff of 1828
The Tariff of 1828, also known as the Tariff of Abominations, was the highest tariff in the history of the United States. The tariff was proposed by Calhoun in an effort to make Adams look bad, but his plan backfired when the Tariff passed. Although the tariff would benefit the northern manufacturers, it would also place an impossibly high tax on imports that would wreck the South’s economy when they couldn’t export their crops. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner was a slave in Virginia who spearheaded the most notable slave rebellion in United States history. The infuriated slaves in the rebellion killed 57 white men, women, and children -
Nullification Crisis
The Nullification Crisis was a primarily sectional crisis that took place during Jackson’s presidency. Caused by the Tariffs of 1828 and 1832, nullification was spearheaded by South Carolina because the Tariff of 1832 still didn’t fix what the 1828 Tariff of Abominations had done -
Texas Annexation Debate
After it gained its independence from Mexico, Texas was seen as a threat with its new foreign allies. The United States sought to annex the little “lone star” republic. However, many Americans vehemently disagreed with this idea. Northerners feared that annexing Texas would be an expansion the “southern slaveocracy” that would tip the majority in Congress to the slave power side -
Wilmot Proviso
A repercussion of the Mexican-American War, the Wilmot Proviso was introduced by the free-soilers in 1846 directly after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. The bill proposed to ban slavery in all territories taken from Mexico, pleasing the North, which wanted to abolish or at least limit slavery -
Compromise of 1850
Clay, Calhoun, and Webster, all part of the Old Guard, tried to preserve the Union at all costs. In Clay’s eloquent speech to the Senate concerning this act, he proved himself once again to be the “Great Compromiser.” From the Compromise, California entered the Union as a free state, the slave trade was abolished in DC -
Fugitive Slave Act
The South created the Fugitive Slave Act in order force the North to return all of the runaway slaves to their Southern owners. The Southerners felt very threatened by the overwhelming voice of radical anti-slavery abolitionists in the North, but this bill ironically motivated abolitionists even further with their open rejection of the Act. -
Gadsden Purchase
James Gadsden and Jefferson Davis agreed upon a negotiation with Mexico concerning the annexation of the southern portion of modern day New Mexico. They would pay $10 million to annex this area in order to establish a transcontinental railroad. Specifically, this southern route was chosen because of topographical advantages that couldn’t be found elsewhere. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was by far the most significant piece of legislation regarding slavery. It repealed the Missouri Compromise by allowing slavery to be determined by popular sovereignty in the new Kansas and Nebraska territories -
Bleeding Kansas
The race to Kansas would ultimately determine the fate of the state’s slave status because it was to be decided through popular sovereignty. It was the Northern Jayhawks versus the “Border Ruffians.” In early 1856, the proslavery raiders attacked and burned free-soil Lawrence in the “Sack of Lawrence.” In retaliation, John Brown lead antislavery forces against opposition at Pottawatomie Creek. -
Ostend Manifesto
The Ostend Manifesto justified the United States’ attempt to purchase Cuba from Spain. The excessively overpriced offer of $130 million was rejected, but the Americans truly believed that they were entitled to expand; the rejection of the purchase was the necessary means for war. -
Presidential Election of 1856
With “Bleeding Kansas,” “Bleeding Sumner,” and “Bully Brooks” on the frontlines of politics, the Election of 1856 was sure to be an interesting one. The Democrats dropped Pierce off the ticket and replace him with “mediocre” Buchanan, who was pro-south after being out of the country for 4 years. The Republicans nominated Fremont, Californian hero and the pathfinder of the West. The “Know Nothings” nominated Fillmore, and the Southern fire-eaters threatened to secede if Fremont won the