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Cotton gin invented
Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin in 1793. This caused a ginormous cotton boom in the South causing a higher demand for labor. The slavery that already existed expanded exponentially. This increase in the amount of slaves created disagreement between the North and the South. -
"Freedom's Journal" started
A group of African Americans in New York began publishing an abolitionist newspaper called the "Freedom Journal". It was the first black-owned and operated newspaper in the United States. It countered racists comments published in the mainstream papers and advocated for African American rights. -
Nat Turner’s Rebellion
This was a slave rebellion that took place in Southampton, Virginia. Within the few days it lasted, 55-65 people were killed, most of them, white. This caused widespread fear, more restriction for the slaves, and 56 of the suspected slaves were prosecuted. -
American Anti-Slavery Society founded
In 1833, William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Tappan founded the American Anti-Slavery Society. By 1848, this the society had an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 members including freed African-Americans such as Frederick Douglass. They were very strong worded, making abolitionist newspapers and speeches. They condemned slave owners as sinners and told people to ignore laws that they didn’t agree with. -
Period: to
The Antebellum Period
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Underground Railroad
The underground railroad formed in the early 1800's. The "railroad" wasn't actually a railroad at all, but actually a system of meeting places, secret routes, passageways, and safe houses that the slaves used to escape to the slavery-free northern states. Abolitionists, even some southerners, helped these slaves to escape, even though their actions were illegal. -
Fugitive Slave Law
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required runaway slaves to be returned to their masters. Many southern slave-holders even put out bounties for anyone who captured and returned their escaped property. The runaway slaves were denied the right to a jury trial and there was a penalty is someone interfered with the process. The North resisted which led to riots. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 consisted of five laws that dealt with the issue of slavery. The fugitive slave act was amended, the slave trade in Washington DC was abolished, California enter the union as a free state, a territorial government was created in Utah, and an act was passed settling a boundary dispute between Texas and New Mexico. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" published
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was an abolitionist novel published by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It exposed the reality of the life of a slave. The novel led to tension between the North and South because the the South was upset by it while the North saw it as eye-opening. The cruel treatment of the slaves made them want to act in the abolition. -
Dred Scott Decision
In the Dred Scott case, the Supreme Court made a decision to affirm the right of slave holders to take their slaves into north-western territories. Chief Justice, Roger B. Taney ruled that Dred Scott was the property of his owner and property could not be taken away from all person without due process of law. The northern abolitionists used the case as evidence that the south wanted to expand slavery throughout the union. -
John Brown’s Raid
John Brown organized a group of white allies and free blacks to raid a government arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He wanted to get weapons so that he could distribute them to slaves for future uprisings. He was eventually forced to surrender by soldiers under Robert E. Lee.
