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Missouri Compromise
It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. This preserved the balance of power between slave and free states. At the time, the United States contained twenty-two states, evenly divided between slave and free. It made the divide even larger and created more hatred between the sections. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner was a former slave who led the only effective slave rebellion in American History. It took place in Southampton County, VA and between 55 and 65 people were killed. After the rebellion, Turner survived in hiding for more than two months afterwards. This angered the Southern colonies and was favored by Northerners. -
Election of 1844
Democrat James K. Polk defeated Whig Henry Clay in a close contest that turned on the controversial issues of slavery and the annexation of the Republic of Texas. The convention instead settled on former Governor James K. Polk of Tennessee, who emerged as the first dark horse nominee. This increased tensions because since Polk supported slavery, the North would be at a disadvantage, having a president who supported slavery. -
Creation of the Free Soil Party
Free Soil Party was a single-issue party, its main purpose was to oppose the expansion of slavery into the Western territories.They did this mainly because western residents didn't want to compete with slave labor. This angered the South because the Free-Soil Party was limiting the South from expanding slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
The North and South were on the verge of a crisis and Henry Clay proposed this compromise to please each side. It included the admission of California as a free state, the strengthening of the Fugitive Slave Law, popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico concerning the question of slavery, the abolition of the slave trade in D.C., and the federal assumption of Texas's debt. This caused deeper tensions because the country became more and more divided on the issue of slavery. -
Fugitive Slave Act
Created during the Compromise of 1850 and favored the Southern colonies. It allowed slave owners to recapture their slaves, even in Northern colonies. This was beneficial to the South because they would have federal assistance to make sure that the don't lose their slaves. This was hated by the northers and caused tension because the Northerners hid the escaped slaves, even though they would get penalized for it. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Image will show if you click)
Book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that described the life of a slave on a plantation. It was considered as one of the most significant causes of the Civil War. This book attracted a lot of white anti-slavery supporters to get rid of slavery. This was when the tension was the most intense and the country was completely divided into their own sub-nations. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
It allowed people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their borders, also known as popular sovereignty. The Act served to repeal the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which prohibited slavery north of latitude 36°30´. This increased tension between the sections because it became clear that the North was anti-slavery and the South was pro-slavery. -
"Bleeding Kansas" (1854-1851)
Violent acts that led to the debate over the legality of slavery in Kansas. It ended as Kansas becoming a free state. This was beneficial to the North and hated by the South because it gave the North (free states) an extra state, which led to more anger between the two sections. -
Brooks Attacks Sumner
Brooks’s violent act was in response to a speech in which Sumner attacked the institution of slavery and pro-slavery Senators. Brooks was fined for assault by a Baltimore district court. This violent act led to increased tension because the pro-slavery supporters were furious that an anti-slavery supporter injured a pro-slavery supporter. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
7 debates for senator of Illinois between Lincoln (Republican) and Douglas (Democrat). At the time, U.S. senators were elected by state legislatures; thus Lincoln and Douglas were trying for their respective parties to win control of the Illinois General Assembly. Douglas ended up winning the election. These caused tension because they were political views over the issue of slavery where certain parties disagreed with each other. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
Assault by an armed band of abolitionists led by John Brown on the federal armory located at Harpers Ferry, Virginia (now in West Virginia). It was an effort by abolitionist John Brown to initiate an armed slave revolt. This caused tension and was one of the most significant events to spark the Civil War. -
Election of 1860
Republican Abraham Lincoln defeated Southern Democrat John C. Breckinridge, Democrat Stephen A. Douglas, and Constitutional Union candidate John Bell. The electoral split between Northern and Southern Democrats was because of slavery. This increased tensions so much, that seven Southern states, led by South Carolina, seceded, setting the stage for the American Civil War.
