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Missouri Compromise
Henry Clay wrote a proposal for Missouri to be a state in the south that will have slavery, Maine will be a free state and south can pursue escaped slaves into free states. This event shows the nation was so divided on the slavery issue that to even let a state into the nation, Congress had a huge conflict over the balance of slave and free states representative. -
Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot wrote a proviso that said made slavery illegal in the new Texas American territories that were won in the Mexican American war because There was heavy debate about slavery in the US and many people found slavery inhumane. This angered the southerners who saw it has an attack on slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay wrote a compromise that stated California was a free state, but slavery could grow past the Missouri line with the New Mexico and Utah territory and it also restricted in the Washington DC area. The compromise passed the fugitive slave act which was a huge issue that pushed many people to be abolitionist. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850 which was written by Henry Clay. The act allowed slave catchers to take slaves back to their owners even if they were living in a free state. The south pushed for this issue because free states were getting more land but this ultimately backfired on the southerners because of many more people became abolitionists after seeing their free African American neighbors being taken from their homes by slave catchers claiming they were escaped. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a groundbreaking novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that reached the entire nation. Many people in the north didn't know much about how horrible slavery was and after many of them realized it turned many northerners into avid abolitionists. Uncle Tom's Cabin is stated by many as one of the leading reasons that the Civil War started in America -
Bleeding Kansas
This act allowed the people in the territories to decide the slavery issue by popular sovereignty. Both north and south were trying to get states to be on their side on the slavery issue. The south liked this act, they were hoping for more slave states. The north was angry they felt cheated by Senator Stephen Douglas because he was letting more slaves into states. Many proslavery and antislavery groups came to Kansas to promote or discourage slavery, they soon formed their governments. -
Dred Scott Case
The republican party wanted to end slavery so they started to get free states, and Dred Scott was a free slave so he moved to a free state. He believed that he was a free slave because he was living in a free state. The Dred Scott case ruled that he was a slave and not a U.S citizen, and living in a free state did not make him a free slave. Slaves are property protected by the U.S constitution. This event took place in Wisconsin. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Lincoln and Douglas engaged in a series of debates about slavery which were followed throughout the country. Douglas believed that individual states should decide whether they would like to continue the practice of slavery or not, also the fact that Lincoln wants equality for african americans. Lincoln’s view is that slavery is wrong and is a horrid thing and that african americans are not animals and they deserve to be treated with respect, equality, life, liberty and justice. Douglas won. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown raised a group of followers to help him free slaves in the south. He wanted to start a slave revolt, he tried to end slavery by overthrowing the southern government, he stole guns from a federal arsenal. He was found guilty of treason and murder and was hung to death. The north praised John Brown, and his attempt to lead a slave revolt. They mourned his death. The south saw Brown as proof that the north was was out to destroy their way of life. This event happened in Virginia. -
Southern Secession
The South thought that losing the election meant that they would suffer, because there was no slave system. They moved to separate from the United States after the election. So the frustrated southern states started to form the C.S.A. South Carolina was the first state to secede followed by Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, Georgia. Abraham Lincoln stood against slavery in his debates against Douglas. In 1860, Lincoln was elected President. The C.S.A attacked Fort Sumter, 1861. -
Lincoln's Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party won the election of 1860.
Congress has no right to say whether there can be slavery in the Western territories. He did believe they had a right to ban slavery in the West.Lincoln won every free state, Lincoln won enough electoral votes to win the election. The South thought losing the election meant that they would lose their ways of life which was based off the slave system. They separated from the U.S after the election. This happened in Virginia.
