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Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was proposed by David Wilmot seeking a solution as to whether slavery should be legal or not in territories obtained during the Mexican-American war. It suggested there be no slavery in any territories acquired from Mexico. The Proviso passed the House but never the Southern-majority Senate. Though never passed, it gained major traction in the North while receiving extreme backlash from the South. This was only the beginning of tensions that led to the war (Varon, 182). -
Fugitive Slave Acts of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Acts of 1850 were a part of a larger set of new laws enacted into the system by President Millard Fillmore called the Compromise of 1850. The new system required anyone, under the law, to aid in kidnapping and turning in slaves who had run away seeking freedom, even if they were in a free state. Denying taking part could lead to an arrest or a fine. The law created further tensions between the North and the South as the North pushed for abolitionism (class). -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel was written as a rebuttal to the Fugitive Slave Laws. Her book took inspiration from her own family's stories, including witnessing the recapture of slaves near their home in Ohio. Originally appearing in abolitionist newspapers, the novel was published in 1852. The raw and real portrayal of slavery put on blast caused even further discontent between the North and South. The furtherance in divide would be one of many factors leading to the war (Varon, 243-244) -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed by Congress creating two new territories: Kansas and Nebraska. The people living in the territories voted on whether slavery would be legal or not through popular sovereignty. Because the two territories were above the 36°30' line, the act voided the prior Missouri Compromise. This upset the Northern abolitionists. Protests on both sides led to violence. The country would become even more split over slavery, leading deeper toward the war (class). -
Ostend Manifesto
Ostend Manifesto was a secret document written with the intentions for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain. The document was written and signed by James Buchanan: Minister to the UK, John Y. Mason: Minister to France, and Pierre Soulé: Minister to Spain. Northerners didn't agree as they saw it as a southern attempt to spread slavery, Southerners supported the document in hopes of preserving and spreading slavery. Hostility accelerated toward the subject leading to war (McPherson 110). -
Walker's Revocation of Emancipation in Nicaragua
In an attempt to gain southern support, William Walker, after taking control of Nicaragua, revoked their emancipation edict from 1842 and re-legalized slavery. His attempt was successful and his efforts to expand slavery were praised by southern slavery advocates. The northern abolitionists, on the other hand, were less than thrilled. Tensions over the expansion of slavery continued to grow leading up to the civil war. The divide in the country was reaching its maximum (McPherson 113). -
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was drafted at a constitutional convention that only included pro-slavery advocates. The goal of the constitution was to solve the issue of whether Kansas would be a free or a slave state. Within the draft, it was written that Kansas would not be a free state. When the other majority of settlers heard of this, mostly abolitionists, they felt outraged and cheated. Tensions over the spread of slavery grew immensely, foreshadowing the war to come (McPherson, 166). -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott vs. Sanford case began when enslaved Dred Scott sued for his freedom after being taken into and residing in a free state with his owner, Dr. Johnson Emery. Outrage came about when the decision was made in 1857 that Scott would lose the case under the reasoning that because he was African American, he was not a citizen and that slaves were property. Such injustice sparked rage from Northern abolitionists and created further tensions with the South, leading to the Civil War (class). -
Panic of 1857
The Panic of 1857 was an extreme financial crisis caused by the collapse of the New York branch of the Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company. This collapse in the economy caused loss of major jobs, especially in the North. Banks and businesses were closing across America. The lack of financial stability in the country made a large divide between the North and the South as they blamed one another for their systems. Sectionalism grew more apparent as tensions were rising going into the war (LOC). -
The Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown, an extreme abolitionist, set up a plan to seize the arsenal on Harper's Ferry. After seizing the arsenal, his plan backlashed when the slaves did not join him in his attempt to start a rebellion. Brown was captured by the military two days after his attempt and put on trial for treason/murder and ultimately sentenced to death. The North and South opposed on their view of Brown. The polarization would ultimately lead to more tensions bringing on the war (class).