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Northwest Ordinance - Political (Red Line)
Chartered a government for the Northwest territories. Allowed for a way to admit new states into the Union. Listed a bill of rights that were guaranteed in the territory. Faced difficulties including unsanctioned settling, Native Americans and the British army occupying the land. Lacked strong central government to enforce, was renewed in 1789 with changes to the original. Established a blue print for moving westward, the federal government would be sovereign and admit of new states. -
Missouri Compromise - Political (Green Line)
Passed to preserve the balance in congress between free and slave states. Allowed for Missouri to become a slave state and for Maine to become a free state. Prohibited slavery in the Louisiana territory that was 36 degree 30 latitude line except for Missouri. The compromise was later repealed by Kansas Nebraska Act. The Missouri compromise was later declared unconstitutional in the Dred Scott case, ruling that the constitution could not prohibit slavery in the territories. -
Nat Turner Rebellion - Social (Red Line)
Killed the Travis family to secure arms and horses to prepare for the uprising. Slave uprising led by Nat Turner which killed 51 white people with a small army of 75 slaves. including women and children in their homes during the night. He was caught six weeks later and hanged with 16 of his followers in Jerusalem, Virginia. His actions led to new oppressive legislation that prohibited education, movement and assembly for slaves. -
Gag Rule - Political (Red Line)
Was a rule enforced in congress that was supported by pro-slavery congressmen that was meant to silence their Northern opponents in fear of conflict and losing slavery. Committee Chairman Henry L. Pinckney of South Carolina reported back that all petitions, memorials, or resolutions regarding slavery should automatically be tabled and that no further action be taken upon them. Continued on for 8 years. John Quincy Adams was able to repeal it with a House group along with Joshua R. Giddings. -
Amistad Case - Political/Social (Red Line)
Situation was in 1839, case heard in 1841. A Spanish ship that held African Americans to be illegally sold in Cuba. The African Americans took control of the ship. A U.S. brig came across the ship and imprisoned the African Americans. Naval officers claimed salvage rights on the ship and human cargo (slaves) in CT. After appeals to the supreme court, it upheld the lower circuit court verdicts that the Africans were illegally captured and must be freed. -
Annexation of Texas - Political (Red Line)
Americans defeat the Mexican army in the battle of San Jacinto Santa Ana signed a treaty giving Texas independence. Many American Texans wanted the U.S. to annex them, President Tyler persuaded Texas to apply for statehood. Sec. of State John Calhoun presented an annexation treaty to congress. Northern senators rebelled defeated it in fear of Texas extending slavery, giving more slave state representation in congress. Treaty's rejection spurred advocates of manifest destiny to greater lengths. -
Mexican War - Political (Red line)
U.S. admits Texas to U.S. in 1854, Mexican government broke diplomatic ties with Washington. Dispute over Texas border and American interest in California increased tensions. War effort had opponents in the U.S. including the Whigs and others who argued the war was draining resources and more important issues of the Pacific Northwest. War officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo making the Rio grande the U.S. Mexico border and not the river Nueces. -
Wilmot Proviso - Political (Red Line)
Anti-slavery Democratic congressman from Pennsylvania David Wilmot created an amendment to the appropriation bill prohibiting slavery in territory acquired from Mexico. It was passed in the house but did not in congress. The Wilmot Proviso was debated and voted on for years. Southern militants contended they had the same equal rights in the new territory, including slavery. Was never passed by both houses of Congress. Heightened sectional conflict. -
California Gold Rush - Economic/Social (Red Line)
James Marshall found traces of gold in the foothills of the sierra Nevada. Word spread by May to San Francisco and by late summer to the east coast and much of the world. Gold rush migrants were known as Forty Niners who abandoned their jobs, farms homes, families and piled onto ships packed only what they could carry on their backs. Attracted first Chinese settlers from particularly impoverished areas. Indians were captured and forced into indentured service. Non-Indian rose to 220,000. -
Compromise of 1850 - Political (Green Line)
First proposed as an omnibus, was a group of five bills including the fugitive slave act making it easier to catch runaways, ending the slave trade in D.C., admitted California as a free state, created Utah and New Mexico territories that would decide whether to have slavery based on popular sovereignty, and creating the Texas-New Mexico border in the former's favor. Douglas split the bill so congressmen could pick and choose. Allowed congress to avoid sectional and slavery issues for years. -
Fugitive Save Act - Political (Red Line)
First passed in 1793, allowed local governments to return runaway slaves that were captured in free states and returned to their owners in the slave states. Fate was decided by a jury-less trial. Imposed a $500 fine on those who harbored slaves. States in opposition to the law passed Liberty Laws that went against the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act. Was passed again in 1850 adding more provisions for runaways and provided harsher punishments for those who interfered. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin - Political Social (Red Line)
An anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe.Popular among Northern white readers, gave a vivid description and telling of life as a slave. It had a major influence on the American public and how they viewed slavery. Said to have laid the groundwork in the start of the civil war. -
Kansas Nebraska Act/Bleeding Kansas - Political/Social (Red Line)
Slavery would be determined by the territorial legislature or popular sovereignty. repealed Missouri compromise. Southern Democrats demanded more so an additional clause was added to divide Nebraska into Nebraska and Kansas which would likely bring one slave state. Anti-slavery government was setup in opposition. Whig party was destroyed, formed new party the Republicans, Anti-Nebraska Whigs and Democrats joined to create. Pierce denounced the anti-slavery government and named them traitors. -
Ostend Manifesto - Political (Red Line)
(Manifest destiny) Pierce wanted to buy Cuba to expand American democracy in the world to distract from the issue of slavery. Failed at diplomatic attempts to buy Cuba. In 1854 a group of Pierce's envoys sent him a private document from Ostend, Belgium (James Buchanan, minster to Britain, John Y. Mason minister to France and Soulé minister to Spain) making the case to seize Cuba by force. They feared a slave uprising in Cuba. Was branded a manifesto by Republicans appealing to Southern opinion. -
Dred Scott Decision - Political/Social (Red Line)
Scott was a slave owned by by an army surgeon who took him to Illinois and Wisconsin where slavery was illegal. Dred Scott sued his widow after he died because his he was enslaved in free territory and being there should liberate him. Won freedom in lower circuit courts. Appeal made by her brother John. Supreme court declared Scott could not bring a suit to the federal courts because he was not a citizen, slaves were property and property could not be taken from a citizen without due process. -
John Brown and Raid on Harper's Ferry - Political/Social (Red Line)
John Brown attacked and seized control of a united states arsenal along with 18 followers in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Was the first part of a plan to establish a free state in Maryland and Virginia of freed slaves to begin a widespread revolt. Failed, were surrounded by Marines commanded by Robert E. Lee. Brown was captured during the raid, convicted of treason and hanged. Harper's Ferry convinced white southerners that they could not live safely in the union. -
Crittenden Compromise - Political (Green Line)
Proposed six amendments to the constitution and four congressional resolutions that would help avoid a civil war. It guaranteed the existence of slavery in the Constitution so that it could not be amended in the future. It would redraw the free-slave demarcation line the Missouri Compromise created. Crittenden hoped to appease Southern congressmen to avoid war. Supported by southern leaders but was rejected by Northern Republicans and President Lincoln which led the compromise to its failure.
