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The Compromise of 1850 including the Fugitive Slave Act
The Compromise of 1850 was created in order to ease the growing tensions between the North and South over slavery. After the Mexican-American War, the U.S had gained an immense amount of new territory that was debated on what to do with. A huge part of this was the Fugitive Slave Act. This was an act that required U.S citizens to turn in a runaway slave, although many states did not comply. This caused engagement and created frustration in the South, leaving a blueprint for the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas- Nebraska act allowed settlers of the territory to decide whether or not they wanted to be a slave state, rather than having the government deciding through congress. The big concept that came out of this was “popular sovereignty.” This eventually overturned the Missouri Compromise which caused a lot of tension. In Kansas, this led to a lot violence between anti and pro slavery groups. This is what eventually led to the conflict of Bleeding Kansas. -
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Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a conflict that succeeded the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which had allowed settlers to own slaves based off of the popular sovereignty. It was between pro-slavery and anti-slavery property owners violently rushing to occupy the state of Kansas to get their side to win over the territory. This led to extreme violence, political issues, and attacks from mostly pro-slavery groups called “border ruffian” attacks. This conflict was almost directly foreshadowing the Civil War. -
Preston Brooks v. Charles Sumner
This incident took place in 1856, congressman Brooks used his cane and attacked senator Sumner on the house floor. This was after senator Sumner gave a speech refuting slavery and calling out Brooks’ family. Brooks didn’t take kindly, so he stormed Sumner and beat him with his cane to the point where he was unable to perform basic tasks. This led to the civil war b/c the south deemed Brooks and hero and northerners saw this ands saw that the south was becoming violent over slavery. -
Dred Scott vs. Sanford
This was a conflict that had included a formally enslaved man named Dred Scott, who went to Supreme Court to sue for his freedom after living in free states. The final ruling was that Dred Scott was not eligible to sue, as he was not a U.S citizen because he was African American. The Court also made a declaration that Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. This led to arguments and turmoil in the states on whether or not this trial was justified or unfair, and increased tensions. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
This was a multitude of debates between Lincoln and Douglas, mainly around the topic of slavery. Lincoln believed slavery should not continue into the new union territories, while Douglas believed that territories should have “popular sovereignty,” which is that states get the decide for themselves. This rose Lincoln to becoming a national figure. It also aided in the eventual conflict of the civil war by furthering the divide on slavery. -
John Browns Raid at Harper’s Ferry
John Brown was an abolitionist who had believed that he could provoke a slave uprising by overtaking an armory in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. Although he was able to seize the armory, he was quickly stopped by militia and U.S Marines. Even though there was a 2-day standoff, eventually Brown was captured, brought to court, and finally executed. In the north, he was praised and seen as a martyr for abolitionists. But in the south, there was anger and resentment, once again intensifying tensions. -
Election of Abraham Lincoln
The election of Lincoln was a very big turning point in the conflict against slavery. Especially because he was a republican and that was against slavery. Lincoln was despised in the south because of his policies against slavery. Lincoln went onto win the election. His election led to the succession of the confederacy which led to the civil war.