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Mexican American War
[Mexican American War](<a href='http://www.pbs.org/kera/usmexicanwar/index_flash.html)' >PBS Mexican American War</a>The concept of Manifest Destiny was expanding the U.S. leading it out West to grow. The U.S. and Mexico were fighting over a large amount of land, Texas, but not only that, California as well. The war ended Feb 2, 1848 with the signing of the Treaty of Guadelupe Hidalgo that gave the United States 500,000 sq mi of land. -
Wilmot Proviso
Wilmot's ProvisoDavid Wilmot, a representative from Pennslyvania proposed an addition to a war appropriations bill. This amendment was known as the Wilmot Proviso, and it proposed taht any terrritory that was gained from Mexico should not have slavery or involuntary servitude. This caused an uproar in the South, however, the Senate refused to vote on it. John C. Calhoun argued taht American settlers should be able to bring all property owned by them, including slaves. -
California Gold Rush
California Gold RushJames Marshall, a carpenter, was building a sawmill for a man named John Sutter. When Marshall found gold fragments in a stream, the two men tried to keep it a secret, but word got out and San Franciscans abandoned everything, piled into wagons, and headed for the mountains to look for gold. The news about the gold spread all the way to the East Coast, and the California Gold Rush began. -
The Free Soil Party
Free Soil PartyThe Whig Party, a group of anti-slavery members met in Buffalo NY with the Liberty Party to form the Free Soil Party. This party was against the expansion of slavery in the new western territories. The main slogan of the party was "free soil, free speech, free labour, and free men". -
Fugitive Slave Act
Fugitive Slave ActThe biggest part of the Compromise of 1850 that the North hated, was the Fugitive Slave Act. This law stated that a sloaveholder or slavecatcher only had to point out an alleged runaway in order for it to be taken into custody. The accused would be brought before a federal commisioner without rights to defend themselves, even if they had earned their freedom previously. All the courts needed to be convinced the slave was a fugitive was a sworn statement or the testimony by white witnesses. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's CabinHarriet Beecher Stowe was exposed to runaway slaves and sheheard reports of victims of the Fugitive Slave Law, this inspired her to "write something that would make this whole nation feel what an accursed thing slavery is." The book came out in 1852 and sold 300,000 copies. This book outraged the South, and many historians believe this was a considerable cause of the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding KansasAugustus C. Dodge, of Iowa, introduced a bill into the Senate that proposed organizing Nebraska territory, including an area that would later become the state of Kansas. This bill was chaired by Stephen A. Douglas from Illinois. Douglas was for the idea of popular sovereignty as well as Manifest Destiny. Nebraska was further north that it would be a free state, but Kansas was next to a slave state and this territory would become a battleground over slavery, known as "Bleeding Kansas". -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Kansas-Nebraska ActStephen Douglas tried to convince the South to support his bill that stated in the new Nebraska territory states would be allowed to have popular sovereignty, deciding whether or not slavery was allowed. The South didn't agree with this, so Douglas convinced them and even the President that Nebraska would be a free state, and Kansas would be a slave state. -
Ostend Manifesto
Ostend ManifestoThe Ostend Manifesto was a written document in 1854 that communicated the exposition for the United States to buy Cuba from Spain, and that the U.S. to declare war if Spain declined. However the U.S. would be satisfied if Cuba remained out of the power of France or Britain. -
The Caning of Charles Sumner
The Caning of Charles SumnerThe violence over slavery made it's way to the government, and Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts, an abolitionist, accused pro-slavery senators in a speech. He singled out Senator Andrew P. Butler of South Carolina, and personally attacked him. Butler's cousin Brooks ended up attacking Sumner, leaving him severly injured and bleeding. Many Southerners prasied Brooks for this, but Notherners were shocked, and their determination to remove the "barbarism of slavery" grew. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott DecisionDred Scott went to trial in order to sue for his freedom in 1847. Finally, after ten years of appeals and court reversals, his case was brought before the Supreme Court. This court decision was that all people from African descent, slaves and free men, would never be able to become citizens of the U.S., making it impossible for them to sue in federal court. The court also ruled that slavery couldn't be prohibited by the federal government. This left Scott a slave, but he continued to fight. -
John Browns Raid
John Browns RaidOn the 16th of Oct. John Brown led a raid of 21 men from the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He planned to arm slaves with the weapons that were seized, but the arsenal was circumvented by local farmers, militiamen, and Marines that were led by Robert E. Lee. In a period of 36 hrs after the raid, the majority of Browns men were either killed or captured. -
The Underground Railroad
UGRThe Underground Railroad was a series of trails, paths, and safehouses along the road to the "Promised Land". Harriet Tubman was a former slave that snuck back to the South to help lead slaves to freedom. The Underground Railroad was ended in 1863 because after the Civil War, slavery was made illegal throughout the country.
