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Dred Scott
Dred Scott was an important figure during this period as he was the center of an important court case that would put clarity on the rights of the slaves. Specifically, Scott was advocating for freedom from his master by suing since he resided inside a free state for a while and also brought up the constitutionality of the Missouri Compromise as well as if is to be declared a citizen. In the end, Scott was considered property and not a citizen and also declared the Missouri Comp unconstitutional -
John Brown
John Brown was a major abolitionist who had very radical ways of furthering his cause. He was largely hated in the South mainly because he was the manifestation of their fears of being a white man who was strongly against slavery. Furthermore, his attempted actions against the South mainly the Harpers Ferry raid contributed to the rising tensions -
Uncle toms cabin
This was a book created by Harriet Beecher Stowe who was an anti-slavery advocate. The book tells the story of a man named Uncle Tom a slave and his life in the south. This book was controversial at the time because it was said to be the base cause of the Civil War because of how it portrayed slavery. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by Congress to settle the dispute over the new territories added to the union after the Mexican-American war. This was due to the North and South debating whether or not the territories were to be free or slave which ended up giving the states Popular Sovereignty. Because of this, the line between the North and South grew thicker leading to debates down the line about what to do about slavery. -
Election of 1856
This presidential election had the candidates, James Buchanan, John Charles Frémont, and Millard Fillmore. This Election was overtaken by Buchanan who was a northern Democrat this election was surrounded by the idea of popular sovereignty which raised tensions on both sides. Furthermore, this election was part of the cause of the Kansas massacre as people demanded a recount of the ballots -
Bloody Kansas
The Bloody Kansas event was a battle between the pro-slave and antislave sides. This battle was in response to the Nebraska and Kansas Acts which repealed the Missouri Comp. This caused tensions to rise and radical reactions which led to the Democrats invading Lawrence Kansas and attacking the town in an effort to sway the vote which ended up causing more problems and dividing them further -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
This Lincoln Douglas was dulled out through seven debates which were mainly on the topic of Slavery. The two sides were still on the fence about slavery specifically the expansion of it into western territories The cause for this issue led back to the Mex-American war when new territories were added to the union many wondered whether they would be free or slave states which should have been settled by the Missouri comp but was repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act given states popular sovereignty -
Harper's Ferry
Harper's Ferry was well known for its work in interchangeable parts being the first to successfully apply it to manufacturing as well as seeing the first successful railroad. The reason this event is significant is that it was the target of a raid led by John Brown in order for him to free slaves and gain support for his cause. However, he was stopped from doing so by the local miltia and was later tried and killed -
Election of 1860
The 1860 election was fought by Abraham Lincoln, John Breckinridge, Stephen Douglas, and John Bell. This election was won by Abraham Lincoln cementing his place as the 16th president and also a contributing factor in the succeeding of the Southern states -
Secession
This was the point in time in which the southern states succeeded from the union. This succession was caused by Major events including where the states stood on slavery, the expansion of slavery into new territories, and the rights of the states within the union. This event was important as it solidified the divide between the two sides effectively starting the Civil war