-
Northwest Ordinance- political/exacerbated
The Northwest Ordinance abandoned the 10 districts established by the Ordinance of 1784 and formed a single Northwest Territory, which could then be divided into 3-5 territories. The ordinance also stated that 60,000 was the minimum population for statehood, secured freedom of religion and the right to trial by jury to Northwest residents, and prohibited slavery throughout the area. Making the northwestern territories free states contributed tensions between abolitionists and slavery supporters. -
Missouri Compromise- political/quelled
Illinois Senator Jesse Thomas proposed it as an amendment to the bill admitting Missouri & Maine as states. It determined that slavery was prohibited in the rest of the Louisiana Purchase territory north of the 36°30’ parallel. It helped quell tensions/fears about admitting new states to the Union for a while. The compromise was later abolished by the Kansas-Nebraska Act and remained that way despite a proposal in the Crittenden Compromise. -
Nat Turner Rebellion- social/exacerbated
Nat Turner was a slave who led 6 other slaves in killing a white family. They then continued on, gathering more followers and murdering 51 total white men. It terrified Southern whites and made them more determined to secure slavery, no matter the cost. It also led to tightened slave codes and restricted freedom for all blacks in South. -
Gag Rule- political/exacerbated
The gag rule was a bill proposed by South Carolina Representative John Hammond that would table any petitions that touched on slavery. Its passage prolonged the issue of slavery because no attempts at quelling tensions could be made. It was eventually repealed on December 3, 1844. -
Amistad Case- political/exacerbated
In 1839, illegally purchased African slaves aboard the Amistad staged a successful mutiny then were imprisoned by U.S. on the charge of murder. President Van Buren & some Americans favored extraditing the Africans to back to Cuba, but support from abolitionists & northerners got the men an American trial. When the case reached the Court, John Quincy Adams argued on the Africans’ behalf, and the Court determined that the men had never legally been slaves and were therefore free individuals. -
Annexation of Texas- political/exacerbated
After Texas gained its independence from Mexico in 1836, expansionists and Southern Democrats supported the annexation of Texas by the US. There was also strong opposition from northerners against acquiring a large new slave territory and/or more Southern electoral & Congressional votes. Texas was denied statehood multiple times before President Tyler signed a joint resolution allowing for the annexation of Texas in 1845. However, northerners were still upset by it. -
Mexican War- political/exacerbated
Congress declared war on Mexico due to disputing claims about Texas’ border and after Mexico refused to sell New Mexico and California. People opposed the war for many reasons; Whigs claimed that President Polk had purposefully steered the U.S. into war and others argued that resources/attention were stolen from the issue of the Pacific Northwest. There was bitter division between fervent expansionists and anti-slavery leaders claiming that the expansionists were conspiring to extend slavery. -
Wilmot Proviso- political/exacerbated
Representative David Wilmot of PA proposed an amendment to Polk’s bill to appropriate money for purchasing peace with Mexico. The Wilmot Proviso would prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico, but it failed in the Senate. The proposal was brought up, debated, and voted on many times for four years, showing the clearly divided view of Americans and Congress. In addition, the amendment was supported by Southerners, so its failure to be passed furthered their anger at the North. -
California Gold Rush- social/exacerbated
The gold rush was one of the causes of an enormous westward migration movement during the 1840s-1860s. Migrants to California, forty-niners, abandoned their livelihoods in hope of quick riches. The surge of people coming into California put pressure on the U.S. to determine the status slavery in California, an issue with two strongly opposed sides. -
Compromise of 1850- political/quelled
This compromise proposed by Henry Clay included the admission of CA as a free state; the formation of territorial governments in the rest of lands acquired from Mexico, without slavery restrictions; the abolition of the slave trade, but not slavery itself, in D.C.; and a more effective fugitive slave law. After passionate debate, Congress defeated the proposal until Stephen A. Douglas split it into a series of separate measures which were passed. It led to a few years of eased sectional tension. -
Fugitive Slave Act- political/exacerbated
The act required the return of runaway slaves even if they entered the North. Because only verbal confirmation on the status of the black person was needed, many free men were also sent to the South. It took away blacks’ right to testify in court in defense or have a trial by jury. If the act was violated, there was a large fine or jail time. There was harsh opposition in the North, especially among free black groups. The South felt they weren’t respected and there were rumors of secession. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin- social/exacerbated
This enormously popular book by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe detailed a realistic look at lives of slaves based on the writings of former slave Josiah Henson. It spread the reality of slavery and helped many people empathize with enslaved blacks, increasing support for abolition. The book was strongly opposed to by Southerners, who claimed it was inaccurate, but was praised by abolitionists. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act- politcal/exacerbated
Stephen A. Douglas wanted to organize a vast territory, but because it would become a free state by the Missouri Compromise, he had to appease the South. He split the area into two territories, allowed popular sovereignty in them, and explicitly repealed the Missouri Compromise. It destroyed the Whig party, divided northern Democrats, and created the new Republican Party. It also led to Bleeding Kansas, where division about slavery turned violent and became a symbol of the sectional controversy. -
Ostend Manifesto- political/exacerbated
After unsuccessful attempts to buy Cuba from Spain, Pierce received a private document from diplomats in Belgium suggesting seizing Cuba by force. This document, the Ostend Manifesto, was leaked to the public and enraged antislavery northerners who accused the administration of conspiring to bring a new slave state into the Union. The Ostend Manifesto was declared unconstitutional by the Fugitive Slave Law, so Cuba did not become a US territory, but tensions were still deepened. -
Dred Scott Decision- political/exacerbated
The Supreme Court held that slave Dred Scott was not free based on his new residence in either Illinois or Wisconsin (free states) because he was not considered a person under the Constitution. Chief Justice Taney stated that slaves were the property of their owner, and property can not be taken without due process. The decision belittled blacks, which upset abolitionists. On the other hand it was beneficial to Southerners, so the divide was deepened. -
John Brown & Raid on Harper's Ferry- social/exacerbated
Abolitionist John Brown led a small group on a raid of a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia to try to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. The raid failed and Brown was hanged. Rather than benefit slaves, it inflamed sectional tensions and upped the stakes of the upcoming 1860 election. -
Crittenden Compromise- political/exacerbated
Proposed by Senator John J. Crittenden, it called for constitutional amendments to guarantee the permanent existence of slavery in slave states and and would satisfy Southern demands on issues like fugitive slaves & slavery in D.C.. It would also reestablish the Missouri Compromise line. Republicans were unwilling to to abandon their platform against the expansion of slavery, so the compromise wasn’t passed and war was practically inevitable.
