-
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe focusing on the harsh realities associated with being a slave. This novel was criticized by many opposers who thought that Stowe's portrayal of Blacks was too positive. Stowe protected the North's anti-slavery sentiment and infuriated the South by her actions, who viewed this as a direct attack against them. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a series of confrontations in Kansas territory and this violence was initiated as a response to the debate of the legality of slavery in Kansas. The violence was mainly between pro-slavery individuals and abolitionists and it served as an example of the national struggle at the time showing the major divide when it came to slavery opinions. -
Republican Party
The Republican Party was formed as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Republican Party was against the expansion of slavery. The rise of the Republican Party represented the North and its interests as well as how the opposed the South and its dominance. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed the new territories a decision on whether to ban slavery in their states or not through popular sovereignty. This was a repeal of the Missouri Compromise and this led to the event of Bleeding Kansas and this made tensions over the argument of slavery. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
The Brooks-Sumner Incident involved Preston Brooks, a congressman, and Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts. Sumner gave a speech with the title of "The Crime Against Kansas," and it was despite pro-slavery forces and it specifically was in the attack of Brooks's cousin. As a response, Brooks beat Sumner with a cane, leaving him very injured. This shook the North but was celebrated in the South. -
Election of 1856
The Election of 1856 was a three-way election with James Buchanan, John C. Fremont, and Millard Fillmore. Buchanan won and this election was significant because with the Republican Party emerging, it emphasized the growing debate over slavery and Democrats kept their views on maintaining slavery while the Republicans pushed for slavery. -
Lecompton Constitution
Drafted in 1857, and submitted to Congress in 1858, the Lecompton Constitution was a Constitution that was in full support of slavery for Kansas and it was seen as very controversial. It heightened tensions between the anti-slavery individuals and the pro-slavery individuals and it highlighted Kansas' struggle and the status of its political compromises. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision denied slaves and former slaves the ability and legality to sue as they lacked citizenship in America and were still seen as property of their owners. It declared the Missouri Compromise to be unconstitutional and it infuriated abolitionists in the North yet the pro-slavery individuals in the South were proud. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for Senate and issues regarding slavery and its extension onto territories. Lincoln's morals toward slavery resonated with the North but Douglas' Popular Sovereignty views appealed to Southern Democrats and this further deepened political divides. -
House Divided Speech
The House Divided Speech of 1858 was made by Abraham Lincoln and in this speech, Lincoln referred to the conflict of slavery with his famous words, "A house divided against itself cannot stand." Also, in this speech, he argued that the U.S. cannot stand with a 50/50 stance on slavery in the states and this was significant because it laid out the moral and political stands of the debate over slavery. -
John Brown
John Brown was born in Torrington, CT into a family that opposed slavery. Beyond the Harper's Ferry Raid, he became a martyr for being an abolitionist and advocating endlessly for the cause. With him resorting to violence against slavery inspired the Northern states, however, it scared the South. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry took place when John Brown led some slaves and a group of his supporters to Harper's Ferry where he and his group of people captured citizens, raided federal buildings, and seized armory. This event was initiated because John Brown wanted to have a slave revolt but it ended up raising tensions between the slave states and the free states with fears of Northern aggression. -
Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 resulted in Lincoln's election and he won without any Southern votes which proved the South's inability to compete with the North within the union. Lincoln's stance against slavery extending throughout the Union angered Southern states and it scared them enough to make them succeed. -
Secession
While South Carolina seceded on December 20, 1860, other states followed in early 1861. After Lincoln was elected, the Southern states began to secede from the union and they did this because they were afraid that political powers and slavery were at a potential loss. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
In Lincon's First Inaugural Address, he wanted to reassure the Southern states while pushing to preserve the Union. Tensions were already reducing with his aim to halt the expansion of slavery, but it also reinforced the growing divide.