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Louisiana Purchase
The United States purchased the Louisiana Territrory from France for 15 million dollars. This purchase double the area of the United States and allowed for west ward expansion. This was also a chance for slavery to expand. The two sections of the US had different oppinions on that though. The north did not want slavery to spred into the west but the south did. This difference in oppinion was an early sign of sectional polarization.
http://geography.about.com/od/historyofgeography/a/louisianapur -
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The Changing America
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Missouri Compromise
To attempt to keep the balance between slave states and free states in Congress, The Missouri Compromise was passed. It allowed Missouri to enter as a slave state and Maine as a free state. It also banned slavery above the 36th parrallel in the Louisiana Purchase. The southern states didn't think this was right to limit where slavery could expand to.
http://youtu.be/tgELv4aNHjQ
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Missouri.html -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
NatNat Turner was a slave who was said to have visions. He believe that these visions were telling him to act so one night him and six of his friends sent out to kill. They started by killing Nat's owners while they were sleeping. The men then continued going house to house killing evey white person they encountered. The next day Turner and his gang went to try and attack the closest town. Word of the rebellion had spread so they was ready for Nat. In the end Nat's gang killed 55 whites. -
Compromise of 1850
1850 CompromiseThe United States aquired a large amount of land after the war with Mexico. What was to be done with this land was a large part of the Compromise of 1850. The land would be formed into states and would allow for the inhabitants of the land pick if they wanted to be a slave or free state. Slave trade was banned in Washington D.C. but slavery was still legal. Finally California was allowed toenter as a free state.This settled much of the arguments going on between the northern and southern states. -
Fugitive Slave Act
Fugitive Slave ActThe Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of The Compromise of 1850. The law stated that civilians must help slave owners return the runaway slaves and if caught the slaves wouldn't have the right to a jury trial. This act angered abolitionists and gave them another reason to end slavery. -
Underground Railroad
Underground RailroadAfter the Fugitive Slave Act the Underground Railroad was in full swing. The Underground Railroad was an organized system to help slaves run away from their slaveholders to the safe territory of the northern states. This, of course, angered southern slave holders and just made their hate for the north increase.
http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/multimedia/interactive/the-underground-railroad/?ar_a=1 -
Uncle Tom's Cabin-Harriet Beecher Stowe
Uncle Tom's CabinUncle Tom's Cabin was a book written about the struggles of a run away slave. The book depicts the reality of slavery and explained to its readers the horrors of slavery. This book really opened the eyes of many northerners. The push for abolition and hatred for the south increased because of this book. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas Nebraska ActThe Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and allowed for slavery above the 36th parallel.Introduced by Stephen Douglas, the act would allow for popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska. Popular sovereignty let the residents of the territories decided whether they wanted to be a free or slave state. After the bill passed violence erupted between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers. At this point in time it seemed as if the US was already split between north and south. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding KansasBleeding Kansas was fighting between anti-slavery and pro-slavery settlers in response to the Kansas Nebraska Act. They were fighting to decided if Kansas would enter as a free or slave state. From then on tension was very high between northern abolitionists and the south. The fighting just tore the country more apart. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dread ScottThe Supreme Court ruled that all blacks, slaves or free, were not citizens and could not become citizens. It also ruled that the Missouri Compromise is unconstitutiional so slavery was leagal in all territories. The south was elated by the courts findings and by saying slaves were property. The north didnt agree with this at all and it just added to another thing the two didnt agree on. -
Lincon's House Divided Speech
House DividedLincoln's speech adressed the differences in northern and southern opinion and the unwillingness to compromise. Lincoln believed that the ruling of the Dread Scott case was part of a Demoractic conspiracy to legalize slavery in all states. This speech helped gain Lincoln some followers and rallied norther Republicans together.
http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/house.htm -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Lincoln-Douglas DebatesThe Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates that took place throughout Illinois. Both Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglass were trying to become US Senators. The main topic of all the debates were slavery. In the end Douglas won, but he won on terms that may have cost him the Presidency. An answer to one of Lincolns questions angered the south and split up the Democratic Party which almost guaranteeed a win for the Republicans. -
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown John Brown was trying to begin a slave revolt with his actions at Harper's Ferry. Brown and his men tried to siez a US Armory and Arsenal and hoped local slaves would rise up against their owners and join in the raid. But the slaves did nothing and Brown and his men were eventually captured and John Brown was hung. Northern abolitionists used the execution as an example of the government's support of slavery. To the south this looked like all northerns wanted a slave uprising to kill them all.
