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Northwest Ordinance (Red)
Political:
The federal government, under the Articles of Confederation, passed the Northwest Ordinance. It authorized the establishment of several new states east of the Mississippi and north of the Ohio River that would be admitted as slave free states. Set precedent for admitting states into the union. -
Missouri Compromise (Green)
Political:
Legislation that provided for the admission of Maine to the United States as a free state along with Missouri as a slave state, maintaining the balance of power between North and South in the United States Senate. -
Nat Turner Rebellion (Red)
Social:
Nat Turner led the most significant slave revolt in U.S. history. In Southampton, Virginia, Turner's and his followers killed around 51 whites. Turner survived in hiding for 2 months before getting found and hung. He carried out this event in the name of God. -
Annexation of Texas (Red)
Political:
Many American Texans wanted to be annexed by U.S.: In 1844 President Tyler persuaded Texas to apply for statehood again but Secretary of State, John Calhoun, presented annexation treaty to congress as if its only purpose was to extend slavery, Northern senators rebelled and defeated it. Treaty's rejection spurred Manifest Destiny to greater efforts towards their goal. North did not want Texas added to the Union it would give slave states more representation in congress. -
Gag Rule (Red)
Political:
Law passed by southern congressman that tabled, without discussion, petitions regarding slavery; passed by the House of Representatives. -
Amistad Case (Red)
Political:
Group of Africans who had been captured and sold illegally as slaves in Cuba aboard a Spanish ship. The enslaved Africans revolted at sea and won control of the Amistad from their captors. U.S. authorities seized the ship and imprisoned the Africans. A case before the circuit court in Hartford was filed in September 1839, charging the Africans with mutiny. March 9, 1841, the Supreme Court ruled 7-1 to uphold the lower courts’ in favor of the Africans of the Amistad. -
Mexican War (Red)
Political:
Mexican government broke diplomatic ties with U.S. in 1845, when U.S. admitted Texas as a state. Boundary dispute of Texas along with American interest in California increased Mexican-American tensions. When war broke out in 1846, war effort had many opponents. Whigs argued war was draining resources away from Pacific Northwest and that Polk had deliberately moved the country into conflict and had staged a border incident. -
Wilmot Proviso (Red)
Political:
Anti-salve Democrat, David Wilmot introduced an amendment to the appropriation bill prohibiting slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico. Passed in the House but failed in Congress. It would be called up, debated and voted on repeatedly for years. -
California Gold Rush (Red)
Economic:
Traces of gold were found in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada and in a few months word spread to the East coast and rest of the world. Hundreds of thousands of people flooded into California in search of gold. Created job shortage in California, everyone was looking for gold and not working. Pressured the U.S. government to resolve the status of California and all territories of slavery. -
Compromise of 1850 (Green)
Political:
Henry Clay created this final piece of legislation from combining 5 other separate pieces of legislation. This bill forestalled the Civil War by instating the Fugitive Slave Act , banning slave trade in DC, admitting California as a free state, splitting up the Texas territory, and instating popular sovereignty in the Mexican Cession. -
Fugitive Slave Act (Red)
Political:
Slaves were to be returned to their owner, even if they were in a free state. Made federal government responsible for finding and capturing slaves. -
Publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Red)
Social:
Author- Harriet Beecher Stowe
Novel that depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as enslavement of fellow human beings.The growing attitudes against slavery in the North, which had been reinforced by the content of Uncle Tom's Cabin, no doubt helped to secure the victory of Lincoln. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas (Red)
Political
K-N: Introduced by Stephen Douglass, make two new territories by dividing up land west of Iowa and Missouri, new territories would decide for themselves whether or not slavery should be allowed.
Bleeding Kansas- Missourians who were traveling into Kansas swelled the vote of slavery or not, leading to pro-slavery forces getting elected and legalizing slavery. Outraged free staters adopted their own constitution and government, Pierce denounced them as traitors. -
Ostend Manifesto (Red)
Political
Private document from Ostend, Belgium making the case for seizing Cuba by force. Enraged antislavery northerners: charged the administration with conspiring to bring a new slave state to the Union. The south opposed all efforts to acquire new territory that would not support a slave system. -
Dred Scott Decision (Red)
Political:
Dred Scott was a Missouri slave. He traveled to Illinois with master and Wisconsin which were free states. After the surgeon died in 1846, Scott sued his masters widow for freedom on the grounds that him being in a free territory freed him of slavery. Circuit court declared him free, but widows brother, John Sanford claimed ownership of Scott and brought the case to the supreme court. Sanford's attorney stated that Scott cannot present his own case because he was property. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (Red
Social:
Abolitionist John Brown led a small group on a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Robert E. Lee led marines to besiege the arsenal and drafted Brown and his followers along with militia and citizens. Harper and his followers were hung. -
Crittenden Compromise (Green)
Political:
An unsuccessful proposal to permanently have slavery in the United States Constitution, and make it unconstitutional for future congresses to end slavery. It was introduced by Senator John J. Crittenden. (Over the 36 30 N)
