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Slavery in the South
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Turner Rebellion
This rebellion was named after its leader, Nat Turner. Turner was a black American slave who led one of the only successful slave rebellions in America's history. This rebellion caused many Southern slave owners to enact many more harsh restrictions on slaves, regarding their accessibility to education and the transfer of slaves. -
The Gag Rule
The Gag Rule was a series of congressional resolutions that prohibited the discussion of petitions against or for slavery. This was passed by the House of Representatives because the matter of slavery was a sensitive topic to both northerners and southerners. -
Texas Declares Independence
On March 2, 1836, a group of American Texans come together and all mutually declare the independence of Texas from Mexico. What follows is a series of battles that resulted in the Mexican government reluctantly recognizing Texas' independence. What also follows is the question if Texas will join the Union or not. In turn this sparks debates over slavery that have been previously tucked away. -
Wilmot Proviso
Proposed by David Wilmot, the Wilmot Proviso was an American law that would ban any and all slavery in the land acquired by the U.S. during the Mexican-American War. Although it was passed by the House of Representatives, it was not enacted because of the disapproval of the Senate, which had greater Southern representation. -
Frederick Douglass and The North Star
American abolitionist and journalist Frederick Douglass was born a slave in Maryland. After growing up in this harsh environment, he escaped to Massachusetts in 1836. When proclaiming an anti slavery speech at a convention, he began his abolitionist career in 1841. He eventually would establish The North Star, an abolitionist newspaper which would become the most influential anti slavery article. -
Free Soil Party Movement
The Free Soil Party was an American political party that followed the Wilmot Proviso. The main focus of the party was to stop the spreading of slavery into the new states and territories in the West. -
"Conductor" Harriet Tubman
The Underground Railroad was a series of unorganized paths and safe houses that led slaves to freedom. Although it had been going on for many years prior, in 1849 Harriet Tubman escaped slavery and reached freedom in Philadelphia. However, she would return to slave states nineteen times, over twelve years, and brought about 300 slaves with her freedom. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
Developed by Henry Clay, the Compromise of 1850 provided solutions to five key questions that arose. However, the most notorious "solution" to arise from this Compromise was the Fugitive Slave Act. This act allowed any runaway slaves to be captured and returned into slavery, regardless of where it was in retrospect to the U.S. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
In reaction to the recently tightened fugitive slave laws, Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote and published her anti-slavery novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin. Her novel focused on the horrors and treatment of black slaves in the South. This novel caused many Americans to rethink the moral issues of slavery. -
The Dred Scott Case
After living in free states, such as Illinois and Wisconsin, Dred Scott was to be brought back to a slave state. However, Scott refused and sued claiming that his time spent in those free states had made him be considered as free. The court ruled in opposition to Scott and Chief Justice Roger Taney claimed that slaves were not true citizens of the U.S. This comment further increased tensions between the North and South.
