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Dred Scott
Dred Scott was a slave from Virginia, later moving to Missouri with his owner Peter Blow. After Blow died in 1832, Scott was purchased by Dr. Emerson, an army surgeon, moving to Illinois, a free state, then to Fort Snelling, a Wisconsin territory, a free territory through the Missouri Compromise. After Emerson died, his wife, took ownership and refused to let Scott buy his freedom, but in 1846, Scott and his wife Harriet filed lawsuits for freedom, beginning the Dred Scott v. Sandford case. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Written by Harriet B. Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin was written to illustrate the struggles and how horrifying slavery truly was. Uncle Tom's Cabin helped increase slavery sympathizers within the North, but it caused tensions between the North and South to grow larger. Southern slave owners claimed that Stowe's publication misrepresented them and slavery and accused Northern anti-slave radicals of attacking pro-slavery individuals. -
Founding of the Republican Party
The Republican was founded as an anti-slavery coalition that opposed that extension of slavery in American territories. It was founded primarily upon the issue of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and American division on the slavery issue. -
Bloody Kansas
Bloody Kansas was a period of violence resulting from the Compromise of 1850. Anti-slavery Northerners and Pro-slavery Southerners rapidly entered the state and ensued violent and bloody acts toward each other, both vying for the popular sovereignty of Kansas. Bloody Kansas violence was big evidence to America that a civil war would eventually break out from the American slavery issue divides, but it only caused the United States to become even more sectionalized. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act, proposed by Stephan A. Douglas, allowed popular sovereignty in American territories regarding whether they will be free or allow slavery. The bill overturned the Missouri Compromise, and eventually, the act led to "Bloody Kansas," a period of violence in Kansas due to American division on slavery, and ultimately, the Civil War. "Bloody Kansas" was a direct result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act, proving it highly unsuccessful. -
The Brooks-Sumner Incident
Charles Sumner, a Massachusetts senator, gave a bitter speech titled "The Crime Against Kansas" in Senate soon after the sacking of Lawrence, all while insulting South Carolina senator Andrew Butler. This caused representative Preston Brooks to retaliate. Brooks walked into the Senate chamber and beat Sumner up with his cane, not stopping until being physically restrained by other men.l Sumner was left with major injuries, and Brook paid a $300 fine, resigning his seat but later being reelected. -
The Election of 1856
During the election of 1856, Stephan A. Douglas withdrew from running and from an agreement with Franklin Pierce, the previous American president, to withhold James Buchanan from receiving the Democratic vote. However, Buchanan later won the election, enabled by the Democrats fear of possible dissolution of the Union. -
The Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution created in Kansas. The document proposed clauses protecting slavery and slave owners, included a bill of rights that excluded free blacks, and only added to the growing friction between the rift of America. It was rejected, resubmitted at Buchanan's request but rejected again. -
House Divided Speech
The "House Divided" speech was a speech by Abraham Lincoln, delivered at the Illinois Republican State Convention. His speech focused on calling America to action on slavery, mentioning the Dred v. Standford case's potential to open up the doors of slavery in the North, emphasizing that the division of America and the house could not stand. Lincoln, basically, admitted that there would, inevitably, be a civil war because of American division. -
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The Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates between Stephan A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln, focusing primarily on the extension of slavery into American territories. During the length of the debates, Douglas continually accused Lincoln of equality radicalism and disunification of America. Lincoln continued to question the morality of slavery and the efficiency of popular sovereignty in reference to "Bloody Kansas." -
Raid of Harper's Ferry
John Brown, a fervent abolitionist, led the 1859 Harper's Ferry raid on a Virginia federal armory, attempting to ignite a slave revolt. His men surrounded the armory during the night, rounding up a few hostages, including slaves. However, Brown and his men were surrounded the next morning on October 17, 1859, by Marines led by Colonel Robert E. Lee and Lieutenant J. E. B. Stuart. On October 19, 1859, ten of his men were killed and Brown was tried for treason and murder in the state of Virginia. -
John Brown
John Brown was a dedicated abolitionist, most known for his raid on a federal armory in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Brown and his five sons traveled to the Kanas territory to support the anti-slavery forces during the violence of "Bloody Kansas," and he later became a leader for anti-slavery guerrillas in the Osawatomie area. He led a nighttime retaliation against pro-slave forces, known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. Following the raid on Harper's Ferry. He was hanged for murder and treason. -
The Election of 1860
The election of 1860 candidates were Abraham Lincoln for the Republicans, Stephan A. Douglas for the Democrats, Southern Democratic nominee John Breckinridge, and John Bell who represented the Constitutional Union Party. The elections primarily focused on slavery and states' rights. Abraham Lincoln was elected. -
The Beginning of State Secession
The beginning of state secession was caused primarily because of the rapidly growing divide between the North and the South on the allowance of slavery. The rift was only worsened following the Compromise of 1850 and "Bleeding Kansas." Although secession has continually been threatened by the South, it wasn't until 1860 when South Carolina passed an ordinance of secession, Mississipi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas following soon after. This marked the start of the Civil War. -
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
In Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, he stated that he wished to preserve the Union without further alienating the South. Ultimately, Lincoln wished for a compromise, promising not to use force on the South if not necessary and mentioning that he would not take away their slaves.
