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Northwest Ordinance - GREEN
The Northwest Ordinance was passed under the Confederation Congress and outlawed slavery in any new northwest territories and it set up for how new states would join the union. This supported the Northern abolitionist as they did not want slavery to expand but created tensions as the southerners expanded west bringing slavery with them. This overall eased tensions as it made the expansions of the west more orderly. -
Missouri Compromise - GREEN
The Missouri Compromise was passed allowing the admission of Missouri as the 34th state, Maine as a free state, and setting the 36 30 longitude line as the border between free and slave states. This eased the tensions as it kept the balance of free and slave states at the time, but ultimately, set up the sectional differences that culminated in the Civil War. This was a political compromise proposed by Henry Clay. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion - RED
This was a social rebellion and slave insurrection in Southampton VA, led by Nat Turner. It worsened the regional tensions as it brought fear to many southerners of violent rebellions so they passed more restrictive legislation against slaves. Over 55 white citizens were killed in the insurrection and almost 200 blacks were killed by mobs in the aftermath of the rebellion. -
Gag Rule - GREEN
The gag rule was a piece of legislature proposed by James Hammond that was passed in congress banning the political sphere from talking about slavery from 1836 until it was repealed by John Quincy Adams in 1844. This helped cool the tensions of the time but postponed the abolition of slavery creating worse problems down the road. This was a political event that eased the rising debate over slavery in the U.S. -
Amistad Case - RED
This was a social event that raised support for abolitionists as it was a supreme court case around the freedom of African abducted from Africa to be put in the Cuban Slave trade. This was a controversial topic and heated the regional tensions as the supreme court ruled these men free because they were abducted and they were returned to Africa. -
Annexation of Texas - RED
The annexation of Texas became a very controversial topic in the political sphere as it tipped the balance of free and slave states in the U.S. This also led to the Mexican-American war which increased tensions even worse. It occurred under James K Polk as a part of the manifest destiny which was a wave of nationalism that ran throughout the 1830s and 40s. Also, texas tried to join the union previously but was denied due to the slavery controversy. -
California Gold Rush - RED
The California Gold Rush was a social event in which many single men from many different diversities rushed to California in search of gold. This rapidly increased the population of California putting pressure on the government to make it a state. This created high tensions as the addition of California upset the balance of free and slave states leading to lots of debate and ultimately the compromise of 1850. -
Mexican War - RED
The Mexican war was over the border of newly gained Texas territory. This dispute quickly escalated and Under James. K Polk the U.S. declared war on Mexico which created a large opposition of mainly pacifists and whigs. The war resulted in the debate over new territories being free or slave states. This increased tensions as it was also seen as a way for southerners to gain territory and power in congress. -
Wilmot Proviso - RED
This was a political bill proposed by Anti-Slavery David Wilmot and it revised James K. Polk's plan to appropriate 2 million dollars to Mexico to achieve peace by adding that slavery is outlawed in new territory acquired from Mexico. It passed in The House but failed in The Senate and sparked large debate over the future of slavery in new territories as the ideal of manifest destiny pushed the U.S. to expand. -
The Compromise of 1850 - GREEN
A political event, the compromise was proposed by Henry Clay, which was made to defuse tensions between free and slave states and replace the Missouri Compromise. It organized western territory into Utah and New Mexico who could vote to either be a free state or slave state. It added California to the Union as a free state. It also banned the slave trade in the District of Columbia and enacted the Fugitive slave act. This kept a balance between Free and Slave States defusing tensions. -
Fugitive Slave Act - RED
The fugitive slave act was a piece of legislation passed in 1850 as a part of the compromise of 1850 that was made to reduce regional tensions. This part of the compromise was very controversial as many northern abolitionists did not follow this law and refused to return runaway slaves and passed the personal liberty laws to protect free blacks and escaped slaves. This caused lots of tensions between regions. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin - RED
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a piece of literature that fueled lots of social revolution among Northerns to support the abolition of slavery as it portrayed the dark realities of the antebellum south. This fueled a strong Republican party in the North and took away some of the British sympathies for the Southern cause. Overall this Novel by Harriet Beacher Stowe greatly worsened regional tensions. -
Kansas-Nebraska act - RED
The Kansas-Nebraska act was proposed by Stephen A. Douglas to organize the territory of Nebraska into two separate states that could vote to be a free or slave state. It increased tensions as many people rushed to vote in Kansas and led to acts of rebellion like Bleeding Kansas. Overall it increased tensions as violence was created in Kansas over the vote of it being a free or slave state. -
Ostend Manifesto - RED
Ostend Manifesto was a political event that involved three U.S. diplomats who advocated for the U.S. seizure of Cuba. This was supported in the south due to fear of a slave revolt in Cuba but Northern abolitionists opposed it as it would add slave territory in the U.S. This increased regional tensions causing more debate in congress. -
Dred Scott Decision - RED
This Supreme court ruling, given by Roger Taney, said slaves were not U.S. citizens and were property, so they could not have the freedom to live in a free state. It also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. This fueled regional tensions as it made many abolitionists furious. -
John Brown and Raid on Harper's Ferry - RED
Was an effort by abolitionist John Brown to start a large-scale slave insurrection. A small group of John Brown supporters named the secret six helped start the initial invasion on the federal armory called Harper’s Ferry. This was a social event as the high tensions and strong abolitionist movement helped push this event into action. This event further separated the North and the South making it nearly impossible to compromise between the regions. -
Crittenden Compromise - GREEN
This was a political compromise proposed by John J. Crittenden in 1860 as an attempt to unite the union and put slavery in the constitution forever. This compromise would reinstate the 36 30 lines from the Missouri compromise and would make it unconstitutional to remove slavery from the constitution. This plan was rejected by both sides as abolitionists wanted to end slavery and southerners wanted to expand it. John tried to resolve the secession crisis of 1860-1861 but didn't gain support.