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the road so far

  • the nullification crisis 1832-1833

    A state government's first significant threat of secession was the nullification crisis. Tensions started following the adoption of a protective tariff that its opponents dubbed the "tariff of abominations." PROTECTIVE TARIFFS WERE USUAL AT THE TIME, BUT MANY WHITE SOUTHERNERS FELT THIS TARIFF WAS TOO HIGH AND FORESAW ECONOMIC IMPACTS AS FOREIGN MARKETS REFUSED TO PURCHASE SOUTHERN COTTON AT STEEP PRICES.
  • Wilmot Proviso 1846-1850

    After the conflict, a new issue arises: what do we do with the land? The focus is on the problem of slavery spreading to new areas. Ultimately, the Senate would not pass the Appropriations measure to which the Proviso was attached until the Proviso had been removed, but this demonstrated the emergence of sectional divisions.
  • Mexican American war 1846-1848

    President James K. Polk declared war on Mexico in May 1846 under the strong influence of the expansionist ideas of Manifest Destiny. He wanted to enlarge the United States and take over territories in what is now the southwest. After fighting with Mexico, Texas won its independence in 1835. Texas maintained its independence despite Mexico's opposition to a clearly defined border.
  • Nate turners rebellion 1831

    The revolt, which was led by the religious prophet and enslaved man Nat Turner, instilled fear in the minds of white people throughout the South and had repercussions that lasted well into the post-Civil War era. When Turner led a gang of six slaves from plantation to plantation, killing white people along the way, on the night of August 21, he may have been motivated by a solar eclipse that he took to be a religious sign.
  • Arrival of African Slaves in English North American Colonies, 1619

    A Dutchman named Warr arrived at Point-Comfort around the later part of August; his commanding officer's name was Capt Jope. He only brought 20 and some odd Negroes, which the governor and a Cape merchant purchased as food. The start of 246 years of racial slavery in what would become the United States of America may be traced to this diary entry by John Rolfe, which was penned in 1619.
  • Ratification of the Constitution, 1788

    Our nation's founders grappled with how slavery would fit into the Constitution as they were writing it. Ultimately, they mainly sidestepped the problem, although due to compromises, the authors did make some allusions to slavery. Despite the fact that the word "slave" is not used in the Constitution itself, various provisions that made reference to slavery had a significant impact on how it affected the history of our country.
  • The Market Revolution, 1790s

    Despite some urbanization, the southern economy remained predominantly agricultural. To suit the needs of their companies, northern manufacturers received raw materials from southern plantation owners that had been cultivated by slaves. With this growth, southern plantation owners converted an increasing portion of their land to cotton in order to satisfy the expanding needs of the northern textile industry.
  • Invention of the Cotton Gin, 1793

    Despite some urbanization, the southern economy remained predominantly agricultural. To suit the needs of their companies, northern manufacturers received raw materials from southern plantation owners that had been cultivated by slaves. With this growth, southern plantation owners converted an increasing portion of their land to cotton in order to satisfy the expanding needs of the northern textile industry.
  • Louisiana Purchase, 1803

    With the purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France in 1803, the size of the United States nearly doubled. The United States purchased 827,000 square miles of land and gained control of the Mississippi River for around $15 million. This enormous territorial expansion paved the way for western colonisation. 13 states, including Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska, would eventually be formed from the area gained through the purchase.
  • Missouri Compromise, 1820

    The Missouri Compromise was the first in a line of significant political battles for the continued existence of slavery in the western territories. Even if this particular conflict was resolved by negotiation, future ones would be more difficult to legislate. After the Louisiana Purchase, settlers swarmed to exploit the country. Due to the influx of new settlers, the Missouri Territory had the required population by 1819 to submit a statehood application.
  • The Rise of the American Abolitionist Movement, 1830s

    The American abolitionist movement did not gain traction on a large scale until the 1830s, despite the fact that individuals and small groups had been protesting the existence of slavery in the United States since the country gained its independence. American abolitionists led by William Lloyd Garrison started to create anti-slavery groups across the northern states after taking inspiration from their British counterparts' tactics.