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Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was an idea introduced in 1845 that emphasized the United States has the right to explore, expand, and settle westward. Westward Expansion was largely motivated by religious beliefs, as many Americans believed it was their destiny and duty to God to expand westward. Due to feeling like they were chosen by God for this duty, many came to believe that Americans were superior to others. Manifest Destiny succeeded in expanding, but tensions contributed in leading to the Civil War. -
Seneca Falls Convention
In Seneca Falls, New York, the first women's right's convention was held. The convention was led by five women, two of the most famous being Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The women advocated for women's right to educational, property, suffrage, and religious rights for women across the country. A considerable amount of men, too, attended the convention and stood behind what the women were advocating for. One famous attendee of the convention is former slave Frederick Douglass. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a collection of many different laws that passed between the free and slave states to make things as fair as possible. One aspect of the Compromise was that California would be admitted to the Union as a free state, which made it so that there were more free states than slave states. Additionally, in favor of the slave states, there was a new fugitive slave law, that required marshals to present found fugitives to a tribunal, which is a court of justices. -
Indiana and Iowa Bar Immigration
In 1851, Indiana and Iowa enacted legislation that barred the immigration of any black persons, whether they be free or slave. Three-fifths of the nation's border between free and slave states ran along the Southern boundaries of these states. The intention of these laws was to reassure the South by denying sanctuary to fugitive slaves, but, in turn, the laws also reflected the heavily racist sentiments of many white people. (McPherson, 108). -
Hatcher Attacks White Factory Overseer
On February 25, 1852, A slave named Jordan Hatcher who lived in Chesterfield County, Virginia, and worked in a tobacco factory, got into a brawl with the white factory overseer. The overseer attacked him with a cowhide strap for insufficient work. Out of self-defense, Hatcher struck the overseer on the head with an iron poker. The wound was fatal, and Hatcher was convicted of first-degree murder and was hung for his actions. (Varon, 241). -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a literary work that critiqued slavery. Uncle Tom's Cabin was the second best-selling book of the century, behind the Catholic Bible. Though Uncle Tom's Cabin was popular in much of the United States and England, it was eventually banned in the South. If someone was caught in possession of Uncle Tom's Cabin, they could be put in jail or beaten. Uncle Tom's Cabin became so popular because it evoked an emotional response from the audience. -
New England Emigrant Aid Company
The New England Emigrant Aid Company was formed in Massachusetts during the summer of 1854 to promote free-soil settlement of Kansas. Though unpopular, the company provided aid to farmers from Midwestern states who began to slowly travel to Kansas. A man, Amos Lawrence, was the chief financial backer of the New England Emigrant Aid Company. Named after him, Lawrence, Massachusetts was the name of the town that the headquarters of the free-state forces in the country was in. (McPherson, 145). -
Lincoln Delivers Lost Address at Illinois State Republican Convention in Bloomington
At the Illinois State Republican Convention in Bloomington in 1856, Lincoln delivered his famous "lost address". In this speech, Lincoln presented himself as a "soul maddened by the wrong" of human bondage, and "fired by the moral enormities of slavery as well as its policy implications". Lincoln's speech was so moving that it won and established him as the leader of the Republican Party. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri who attempted to sue for freedom. The Dred Scott case was a United States Supreme Court case that sent shockwaves throughout the country. The decision stated that slaves were not legal citizens of the United States and would not be able to have any of the benefits that any United States citizen would have. During the time of the case, the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court was Roger Taney. -
Stephen A. Douglas Storms the White House
On December 3, 1857, Stephen Douglas stormed the White House to confront President James Buchanan on the "trickery and juggling" of the Lecompton Constitution, which was a document framed in Lecompton, KS, that protected slaveholding and withheld rights from free blacks. Douglas warned Buchanan that giving KS statehood under popular sovereignty would seriously threaten the Democratic Party in the North. Douglas swore to oppose Buchanan in Congress if he went through with it. (McPherson, 186).