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Dred Scott was an African-American man born into slavery in Missouri. He was owned by John Emerson. In 1846, Scott sued Emerson’s widow. He believed he should be declared a free slave because he had been a resident in a free state and free territory while under his owner. The Supreme Court ruled against Scott saying he wasn't an American citizen and he didn't have any rights. The decision ruled the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, getting rid of the balance between the North and South. -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin is an anti-slavery novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This novel focuses on the insufferable experience of slaves and the immoral slave owners. The novel caused a lot of controversy. Southerners thought the novel was overly exaggerated. They thought that slavery was wrongly depicted and they were made to look bad. Northerners became sympathetic. It encouraged them to speak out against slavery, raising abolitionism in the North. -
The Republican Party was formed due to the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The idea of the new party was proposed by former members of the Whig Party and Free-soil parties at various meetings. Both of these parties joined forces to create a political party that opposed the extension of slavery in Kansas and Nebraska. While they were heavily opposed by the South, they rapidly gained supporters from the North. -
This act was proposed by Stephen Douglas. This act created the two new territories of Kansas and Nebraska, repealed the Missouri Compromise, and allowed the concept of popular sovereignty. It ruined any chance of peace between the North and South. Northern abolitionists condemned Douglas for his decision to get rid of the Missouri Compromise and allow slavery to expand, while Southerners supported Douglas’ decision to get rid of the compromise because slavery could expand. -
Bloody Kansas or Bleeding Kansas was a period of repeated outbreaks of violence between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces. The forces entered Kansas in order to sway the vote in their favor and gain control of the territory. The conflict got so bad that it reached the Senate floor. This intensified the ongoing debate on slavery in the United States. It demonstrated that the dispute over slavery couldn’t be resolved peacefully, it would end in war. -
This bloody incident ensued because Sumner mocked Andrew Butler, a family member of Brooks. Brooks took offense to this and decided to avenge his family. He struck Sumner in the head repeatedly with a cane, even splintering the cane in the process. This incident was a shock to the country and caused a divide. It showed that even between government officials, problems couldn’t be reasoned and that someone was willing to resort to violence. -
Candidates in this election were John C. Fremont, James Buchanan, and Millard Fillmore. The Republican Party campaigned to promise the end of slavery and to repeal the Kansas-Nebraska Act. The Democratic Party campaigned to keep slavery in the South and freedom in the North. These two parties and their campaigns further divided the North and South. James Buchanan (Democrat) won this election. This set the stage for the election of 1860 where the Republicans would win, setting off the Civil War. -
The LeCompton Constitution was framed in LeCompton, Kansas by Southern pro-slavery advocates of Kansas statehood. Clauses included in this constitution protected slaveholding and a bill of rights excluding free black people. It was rejected in a territorial election, but a compromise was offered calling for a resubmission of the constitution to voters in the Kansas territory. Kansas again rejected the constitution and was admitted into the Union as a free state. -
This speech was delivered by Abraham Lincoln at the 1858 Illinois Republican State Convention. In this speech, Lincoln addressed the Dred Scott case, saying that the decision opened doors for slavery to be legal in the North, and all territories. He didn’t think that America could remain half-free. It would be free or it would be a slave country. Lincoln highlights the growing divide in the country over slavery and predicts that the United States will forever be split because of this. -
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for a position in the Illinois Senate. The main issue talked about during these debates was slavery expansion. Each candidate attacked the other's views on slavery and other issues. Douglas attacked Lincoln's racial equality and Lincoln attacked Douglas' popular sovereignty. These debates demonstrated the growing rift in the country over the issue of slavery. -
John Brown was an American abolitionist leader. He was also very fanatical. He fought strongly against slavery. He believed it was a sin against God and humanity. He wanted to create a slave rebellion, but that didn’t go as planned. He was the leader of two significant events of the 1850s. He led the raid of Harpers Ferry and the Pottawatomie massacre. Brown was tried for murder, treason, and slave insurrection. He was convicted and hanged on December 2, 1859. Not many people supported him. -
Harper's Ferry was the location of a raid conducted by abolitionist John Brown. On the night of October 16, 1859, Brown and his crew seized the United States Arsenal and Armory. The 2-day raid ended with the hostages being rescued, deaths, and Brown being wounded and taken into custody. The raid on Harpers Ferry further lessened the chance of any agreement or understanding happening between the North and South. The raid did strengthen abolitionism in the North. -
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina unanimously voted to secede from the Union. They believed that a Republican government would undermine slavery by appointing anti-slavery officials. Weeks later, another six southern states joined South Carolina in secession. The states were Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas. Secession was the main cause of the Civil War. The North and South fought over whether it was within the South’s rights to leave the Union. -
It consisted of Abraham Lincoln who represented the Republican Party, John Bell who represented the new Constitutional Union Party, and a split Democratic Party represented by Stephen Douglas (Northern) and John Breckinridge (Southern). The main issues of this election were slavery and states’ rights. Lincoln won the election with 180 electoral college votes. This election is significant because it led to the secession of South Carolina and other southern states, which led to the Civil War. -
Lincoln’s 1st Inaugural Address focused on holding the Union together and preventing the Civil War. In his address, Lincoln reassured the Southern states that he would not outlaw slavery as it already existed in that region. However, he made it clear that he was against secession, but some Southern states had already seceded from the Union by the time he gave this address. Even though Lincoln appealed to the South, the Civil War still ended up happening.