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Northwest Ordinance
The Northwest Ordinance abolished the ten districts that were created in 1785 and created one northwestern territory. Once the population reached 60,000, the territory would be granted statehood, freedom of religion, right to trial by jury, and it prohibited slavery. It was important to the new nation because it upset the balance between slave states and free states, starting the path to the Civil War. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was passed after the tensions between pro-slavery and antislavery beliefs increased. To keep the peace and balance, the compromise stated that states above the 36 30 line would be free states and below it would be slave states. The Missouri Compromise, having been an attempt to keep peace within the Union, was later repealed by the Kansas Nebraska and then declared unconstitutional by the Dred Scott case. -
Nat Turner Rebellion
Nat Turner was a literate slave preacher from Southhampton County, Virginia. He organized the bloodiest slave revolt ever in American history. He led 40-50 slaves to kill his master and children. The slave revolt grew and ended up killing 55 white men, women, and children. This slave revolt contributed to the views southerners held about blacks being violent and dangerous. It also warranted further subjugation of slaves and ended up increasing the division between the north and the south. -
Gag Rule
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Gag Rule
Gag rule was a bill passed to table bills Congress proposed that would petition against slavery. It prolonged the issue of slavery and deemed unconstitutional in 1844 since it went against the first amendment. It was proposed by James Hammon and opposed by John Quincy. The bill exacerbated tensions, creating stronger sectional divides, and the amplified the issue of slavery in the press. -
Amistad Case
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Amistad Case
Portuguese slave hunters abducted large groups of Africans from Sierra Leon and shipped them to Havana, Cuba, a center for slave trade. This violated the treaties that were standing in existence. Africans seized the ship and killed the captain and cook and ordered Montes and Ruiz to sail to Africa. The Amistad Case demonstrated that there was a slave revolt close to the US and word spread fast. It sparked the idea of rebellion among African Americans in southern states. -
Annexation of Texas
American Texans offered to join the Union, but northerners opposed new slave territory. Andrew Jackson also feared it would cause sectional controversy and war with Mexico. Texas cast out on its own and sought money and support from Europe. Tyler persuaded Texas to apply for statehood again in 1844, but Calhoun presented it as the purpose was to extend slavery, causing northern senators to defeat it. It urged supporters of Manifest Destiny towards their goal and became a central issue later on. -
Mexican War
The Mexican War started when there was a dispute over the border of Mexico and Texas; the US believed the Rio Grande, but Mexico thought it was the Nueces River. Mexican troops then crossed the Rio Grande, causing Congress to declare war. Victory was not as quick as Polk wanted and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo officially ended the war. The treaty stated that the Rio Grande was the official border line and Mexico also sold California to the US as a part of the terms of the treaty. -
Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot introduced the Wilmot Proviso as an amendment to a bill stating slavery wouldn't exist in any land gained from Mexico in the war, it was passed in the house, but not the Senate. Southern militants said that all Americans had equal rights in new territories, including the right to move slaves there. This bill increased the growing disputed over slavery and its underlying principle helped with the formation of the Republican Party. -
California Gold Rush
James Marshall discovered gold at Sutter's Mill in California, and despite attempts to keep the information secret, word quickly spread and migrants traveled to California. It attracted Chinese migrants, hoping they would get rich and return home, and eventually also created a labor shortage where immigrants would then find jobs. Most people never found gold; however, many stayed in California and swelled agricultural and urban population, increasing the representation of free states. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a truce between the north and the south with different terms. The terms consisted of: California joined the union as a free state, popular sovereignty in Mexican cession (which settled the boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico), the slave trade was outlawed in DC, and there were stricter fugitive slave laws. No majority in Congress could pass the bill so it ended up being split. It also averted war; however, it further divided the north and the south. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Compromise of 1850 called for stricter fugitive slave laws, meaning that free African Americans could be caught as well. President Millard Fillmore enacted the law requiring runaway slaves to be returned. It also relinquished the right to testify in court in their defense and trial by jury for any of the accused. Northern states quickly nullified it, increasing the tensions between north and south. It was established to preserve the unification of the union but caused the opposite effect. -
Publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
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Publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" was written in reaction to Fugitive Slave laws. It was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book ended up being a major influence in the way that the American public viewed slavery. It was written against slavery by cataloging the suffering experienced by enslaved people and by showing how their owners were morally broken. -
Ostend Manifesto
Franklin Pierce tried buying Cuba from Spain but failed, so in 1854 a group of his envoys sent a private document from Ostend, making a case for seizing Cuba by force. The manifesto leaked out to the public, causing northerners to become enraged. Taking Cuba into the Union meant that there would be a new slave state, further upsetting the balance between the north and south. However, the south opposed the effort to acquire new territory that wouldn't support slavery. -
Kansas Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas
Stephen A. Douglas introduced a bill to open territory for settlement to put the transcontinental railroad in the south. The Missouri Compromise was repealed since Nebraska was above the 36 30 parallel. Nebraska and Kansas were separated as a last modification to the bill, hoping it would keep the balance of free and slave states. Kansas ended up being admitted as a free state while Nebraska was added as a slave state. This made the abolitionists angry and the Republican Party was formed. -
Dred Scott Decision
John Emerson was the owner of Dred Scott, who was a slave taken into Illinois and Wisconsin, which were free states. Emerson died, so Scott sued the widow for freedom. In Scott vs. Emerson, Scott was declared free by the MO government. In 1852, the MO supreme court reversed the verdict. Scott tried taking it back to federal courts; however, it was deemed that he could not since he was property. The MO compromise was repealed, northern states passed laws supporting AAs, and it furthered tensions. -
John Brown and Raid on Harpers Ferry
On October 16, 1859, John Brown led an anti-slavery raid against the federal armory in Harpers Ferry, VA. It was his attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy slavery, starting with seizing the armory. By morning, Brown and his followers were surrounded and stopped by Robert E. Lee and his men. The revolt was stopped before much could happen; however, it showed the north that conflict over slavery had to be dealt with because they could no longer live safely within the Union. -
Crittenden Compromise
This compromise was intended to stall the civil war and was introduced by John Crittenden. It consisted of multiple amendments including the reenactment of the MO compromise, compensation to owners of fugitive slaves, popular sovereignty in territories, protect slavery in DC, and forbade interstate slave trade. The compromise was unsuccessful as it was rejected by Lincoln. The idea of complete abolition was uncertain, it was the last chance at unity, no middle ground, and it increased tensions.
