1850-1861

  • John Brown

    John Brown

    John Brown was born on May 9, 1800, and died on December 2, 1859. He was made a martyr to antislavery for his raid on the Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He was an abolitionist who helped Gerrit Smith, who was also an abolitionist, make a community for African Americans in the Adirondack Mountains. Brown was against slavery so the South would see him as a threat to him. He was dedicated to ending it he would even die for it.
  • Uncle Tom's Cabin

    Uncle Tom's Cabin

    "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was a novel published by Harriet Stowe. It tells a story about a slave named Uncle Tom. He was being transported to an auction in New Orleans. He then saves a little girl named Ava whose father bought Tom. They grew very close, but Ava's health was bad. On Ava's death day, she asked her dad to free all his slaves. He agreed but was later killed. Tom was given to his new owner who whipped him to death after he refused to tell his owner the whereabouts of some escaped slaves.
  • Republican Party

    Republican Party

    The Republican Party was one of the two major political parties founded in 1854. They were also against the extension of slavery in the Kansas and Nebraska territories and ultimately wanted to get rid of slavery. After the civil war the Republican Party fought to protect African American rights.
  • Kansas Nebraska Act

    Kansas Nebraska Act

    Im 1854 Stephan Douglas bill to organize the Western territories. Douglas’s bill would organize this territory with popular sovereignty. Although this did not please a group Southerner senator's. Douglas later introduced his revised bill, but Ohio senator, Salmon Chase didn’t like this bill. This led to Douglas pleading in his final address. The Kansas-Nebraska to create two territories and allow popular sovereignty.
  • Lincoln Douglas Debate

    Lincoln Douglas Debate

    The Lincoln Douglas debates was a series of 7 debates between Stephan Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. They campaigned over the expansion of slavery into the western territories.
  • Election 1856

    Election 1856

    The election of 1856 was between Democrat, James Buchanan and Republican, John Frémont who promised to end “Slave power” and repeal the Kansas-Nebraska act. While Buchanan to keep slavery in the south and freedom in the north. After a long campaign Buchanan lost causing the Republicans to win while led to start of the Civil War.
  • Bloody Kansas

    Bloody Kansas

    Bloody Kansas was a violent outbreak between the anti-slavery and the pro-slavery following the creation of the new territory in Kansas. In total 55 people were killed between 1855 and 1859. This event was a minor key in causing the Civil War
  • Brooks-Sumner incident

    Brooks-Sumner incident

    On May 22, 1856 Preston Brooks, representative of South Carolina, walked into the senate and began to beat senator of Massachusetts, Charles Sumner with his cane. This was all due to the tension over the expansion of slavery. The day Charles Sumner gave his speech “the crime of Kansas” he blasted three of his colleagues by name. One being elderly, Andrew Butler. This upset Preston brooks because he was family. This made Brooks feel the need to take action and beat Sumner.
  • Dred Scott

    Dred Scott

    Dred Scott was an enslaved African American male who decided to sue for freedom. He believed that since he was living in a free state he should be let free and be a citizen. This lawsuit failed and the court ruled against him causing him, his wife, and two daughters to stay slaves.
  • The LeCompton Constitution

    The LeCompton Constitution

    The LeCompton Constitution advocated for Kansas and protected slavery. It also contained a bill of rights but it excluded all African Americans. This constitution also prohibits free slaves from entering the state. In addition it also guaranteed slaveholders the property rights for 200 slaves and their descendants to be on their property.
  • House Divided Speech

    House Divided Speech

    The House divided speech was given by Abraham Lincoln. In this speech Lincoln claimed that slavery would divide the United States. He stated that if we ever want the United States to become a free state they needed to act now before it was to late.
  • Harper's Ferry

    Harper's Ferry

    In October, 1859 the U.S. military arsenal at Harpers Ferry was attacked by an armed band of abolitionist led by John Brown. This attack was a plan to establish independence of the free slaves in the mountains of Virginia and Maryland. Brown was then captured during the raid and was convicted of treason and later hanged.
  • Election 1860

    Election 1860

    The election of 1860 was between Republican, Abraham Lincoln, Democrat, Stephan Douglas, and Constitutional Union candidate, John Bell. The electoral was split between the Southern and the Northern democrats over slavery. Abraham although had less than 40% of the popular vote he easily won the electoral vote causing him to win this election.
  • Secession

    Secession

    Secession in 1860 applied to the outbreak of the Civil War. Seven states had severed their ties with the Union. The Union was the divided by geographical lines. “ the eleven slave states adopted the nomenclature of the Confederate States of America.”
  • Lincoln's 1st inaugural Address

    Lincoln's 1st inaugural Address

    Lincoln’s 1st Inaugural Address was made to try and hold the union together and prevent the civil war. he believed that if we were to go to war it would leave us open for attack from France and Britain. He also made sure to ensure to the slave states that he had no intension of outlawing slavery in order to not create any problems.