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Missouri Compromise
Missouri was added to the Union as a slave state, while Maine was added as a free state. The compromise also included the drawing of an imaginary line dividing the Louisiana territory between slave and free sections. -
Compromise of 1850
This compromise included five laws in hopes of keeping the peace between slave states and free states. It included the addition of California into the Union as a free state and banned slavery in Washington, D.C. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe was an anti-slavery book. It helped shape people's attitudes towards slavery and contributed to starting the conversations that led to the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act allowed the residents of Kansas and Nebraska to vote and choose for themselves whether or not to allow slavery in their states. This act essentially repealed the Missouri Compromise. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott sued for his freedom after his owner moved from a slave territory to a free territory. The Supreme Court decided that black people were not included under the term 'citizens' in the Constitution and therefore had no rights. -
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown and a group of abolitionists raided an armory in Harper's Ferry in hopes of creating a stronghold. The move was largely dismissed by the North, but it created tension and helped lead to the Civil War.
