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The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was the resistance to enslavement through escape and flight, through the end of the Civil War. This refers to the efforts of enslaved African Americans to gain their freedom by escaping. Wherever slavery existed, there were efforts to escape. The whites and some of the free African Americans helped the runaway slaves to escape from slavery. -
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Slavery In The South
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Nat Turner’s Slave Rebellion
Nat Turner's Rebellion is historically known as the “Southampton Insurrection”, was a rebellion of enslaved Virginians that took place in Southampton County, Virginia, in August 1831. Led by Nat Turner, the rebels killed between 55 and 65 White people, making it the deadliest slave revolt in U.S. history. -
Gag Rule
In Congress, the House of Representatives used the “gag rule” to prohibit discussions and debates about the anti-slavery petitions.
In the late 1830s, Congress received more than 130,000 petitions from citizens demanding the abolition of slavery in Washington, D.C. -
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a former slave who escaped, from Maryland. He was a national leader of the abolitionist movement in Massachusetts and New York. He became famous for his oratory and incisive anti slavery writings. He escaped from his owner/ master during the Underground Railroad. He also worked long and hard to make sure that emancipation would be one of the war’s outcomes. -
The (Missouri) Compromise Of 1850
The compromise of 1850 started when Senator Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions on January 29, 1850, in an attempt to seek a compromise and prevent a crisis between North and South. As part of the Compromise, the Fugitive Slave Act was amended and the slave trade in Washington, D.C., was abolished/ banned. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was part of the Compromise of 1850. The act required that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. The act also made the federal government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves. -
Uncle Toms Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U.S., and is said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the American Civil War". Uncle Tom's Cabin tells the story of Uncle Tom, an enslaved person, depicted as saintly and dignified, noble and steadfast in his beliefs. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. -
Bleeding Kansas
Three political groups occupied Kansas, pro-slavery, Free-Staters, and abolitionists. Violence broke out immediately between these opposing factions and continued until 1861 when Kansas entered the Union as a free state on January 29. -
Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott decision was the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on March 6, 1857. Living in a free state and territory did not entitle an enslaved person, Dred Scott, to his freedom. The decision argued that, as someone's property, Scott was not a citizen and could not sue in a federal court. -
The Election Of 1860
The election of 1860 was one of the most pivotal presidential elections in American history. It pitted Republican nominee Abraham Lincoln against Democratic Party nominee Senator Stephen Douglas, Southern Democratic Party nominee John Breckinridge and Constitutional Union Party nominee John Bell. The main issue of the election was slavery and states’ rights. Lincoln won the election and became the 16th president.