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Protective Tariffs
There were tariffs (taxes on imported or exported goods) placed in America. While the North benefitted from tariffs, the south suffered from them. John C. Calhoun used this issue to gain support for his presidential campaign. -
Missouri Compromise
As more states became slave-free, people were unsure about the future of new states. Northern and Southern politicians debated a lot about the growth of slavery. Henry Clay created the Missouri Compromise by saying Maine would be a free state and Arkansas would be allowed to have it. -
The Nullification Crisis
At this time, many tariffs were placed on goods. While the north benefitted greatly, the south didn't. They felt this was unfair. John C. Calhoun decided that any state could nullify, or ignore, any laws they found unconstitutional. Using this, South Carolina had nullified the tariffs, but the government didn't allow it. Because of that, South Carolina threatened to secede, but Henry Clay intervened and lowered the tariff. -
Compromise of 1850
When new states were admitted, the country was very divided on whether that new state would be a slave state or not, so some states just decided to nullify some laws that they found "unconstitutional." This resulted in a lot of tension between states as congress tried their best to keep things even. -
The Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott and his wife sued for freedom, as many slaves had done. Unfortunately for them, 7 of 9 judges declared that slaves or their descendants could never be U.S. citizens. The court had also declared the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown and his men attempted to raid a large arsenal of weapons in the South. However, the attempt failed and Brown was executed. Fortunately, this event was seen as a heroic action in the north, and was marked as the beginning of the abolitionist movement. -
Election of 1860
4 candidates ran for office. Lincoln won the election in the North, and Breckinridge won in the south. Upon Lincoln's overall election, he was seen as an enemy to those in the North. -
Kansas Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas
The Kansas Nebraska act gave Kansas and Nebraska the choice of having slavery or not. Because of this, the Bleeding Kansas event occurred, in which an army of 800 soldiers were sent to destroy the town of Lawrence.
