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Dred Scott
Dred Scott was a slave from birth. When his owner at the time took him to a free state, Scott escaped for his freedom. Soon, a case began that went to the Supreme Court. In the end, the Court decided that Scott was still a slave, and that all slaves were property and were not free until their masters said so. -
John Brown
John Brown was an abolitionist most famous for his raid on the Federal Arsenal in Harper's Ferry. He was hanged for his raid, which would raise tensions on slavery for years. Though it fail;ed, he is remembered to this day. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stow. The Novel told the tale of a slave and his search for freedom, as well as the cruel world that surrounded him and eventually led to his demise. The novel sparked outrage in the South, who believed it was exaggerated, as well as the North, who did not like that the slave owner was Northern. -
Bloody Kansas
Bloody Kansas was an event that is considered the unofficial first battle of the Civil War. It took place between the Slavery and Anti-Slavery forces, and up to 200 people were killed over the following 5 years. The significance of this was that it shaped the Civil War and the fighting in the war. -
The Republican Party
With the creation of the Republican Party, the south's ideals were threatened more than ever. The Republicans began to pick up steam and elected their first President, Lincoln, in 1860. With this, the South had had enough, and in the following weeks formally seceded from the Union. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise and created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska. By repealing the MC, the remaining territory was allowed to have slavery, which created an imbalance of power. This would create even higher tensions between the North and South. -
Brooks-Sumner Indecent
After the incidents in Lawrence, Senator Charles Sumner gave a speech on the events, where he blasted the slavery forces, and even went on to blame the event on Andrew Butler. Preston Brookes proceeded to beat Sumner repeatedly with a cane to the point he had to be restrained. Sumner faced physical and emotional damage from the incident, and Brooks was fined and resigned. -
Election of 1856
The election of 1856 had three candidates including Millard Fillmore, John Fremont, and the winner James Buchanan. The significance of the election was that it had the first Republican candidate, John Fremont. The Democrats warned that if Fremont won, war would begin. So with Buchanan's win, tensions eased momentarily. -
LeCompton Constitution
The LeCompton Constitution was a proposed Constitution for the state of Kansas. It was created by multiple advocates of slavery, and had many of the ideals of Southern States. As well as allowing slavery, it protected the foundations of slave holding in Kansas, and excluded free slaves from its Constitution. -
House Divided Speech
When Lincoln was nominated Senator of Illinois, he delivered one of his most famous speeches in his career. In his speech, he accepted the nomination, as well as going in depth into slavery and the division of the nation. He believed the Nation could not continue as long as the Nation was half slavery and half free. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
The Lincoln Douglas Debates were a series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, who were both running for the Illinois seat in the Senate. The debates mainly concerned slavery. Lincoln believed the question of slavery was a question of morals. Douglas believed that by taking a moral issue and solving it politically, war could errupt. -
Harper's Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the Town of Harper's Ferry with many slaves in order to help start a slave revolt in the south. The raid failed and Brown was hanged for it. The effect of this was that the south became more fearful of slave revolts, and became scared of what the North might do to their slaves. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was the most pivotal election of its time and consisted of four candidates. The election was very split, but Lincoln came out on top. This election leads to the secession of the southern states due to the outrage of having a Republican President. -
Secession
After the election of Abraham Lincoln, the South grew tired of the Union. Weeks later, South Carolina formally seceded from the Union and was soon followed by others. This event led directly to the Civil War between the Confederacy and the Union. -
Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
In his first inaugural address, Lincoln told the country his plans for the country, including the recently seceded southern states. His biggest points was that he had no intention to mess with slave holding, and would continue to uphold the laws of the Constitution onto all states. He also had no plan to harm the southern states unless necessary.