-
Compromise of 1850
The compromise aimed to settle the issue of slavery in new territories acquired from mexico. It included the admission of california as a free state, stricter fugitive slave law, and popular sovereignty for utah and new mexico territories. While it temporarily eased tensions, it also intensified divisions by raising questions about the expansion of slavery. -
Publication of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel depicted the harsh realities of slavery and gained widespread popularity. It highlighted the moral injustice of slavery, fueling anti-slavery sentiment in the North and raising tensions between North and South. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Act repealed the missouri compromise and allowed popular sovereignty in kansas and nebraska territories. This led to widespread violence and fighting between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the region, known as "Bleeding Kansas," further deepening the divide between the North and South. -
Dred Scott Decision
The supreme court ruled in the dred scott v. sandford case that slaves were property and not entitled to freedom, even if they resided in free territories. This decision further incensed abolitionists in the North, as it seemed to invalidate previous compromises and protect slavery everywhere. -
Summer-Brooks affair
The caning of Charles Sumner, or the Brooks–Sumner Affair, occurred on May 22, 1856, in the United States Senate chamber, when Representative Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery Democrat from South Carolina, used a walking cane to attack Senator Charles Sumner, an abolitionist Republican from Massachusetts. -
Panic of 1857
A financial crisis, initially triggered by the failure of a major financial institution, swept across the united states. The panic led to widespread economic hardship and exacerbation of existing regional tensions. The north blamed the south for its reliance on cotton exports, while the south criticized the north's industrial and banking practices. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
In 1858, Abraham Lincoln, representing the Republican Party, and Stephen A. Douglas, a democratic party incumbent senator, engage in a series of seven debates across illinois during their campaign for the U.S. senate. The debates primarily centered around the issue of slavery and each candidate's stance on it. -
John Brown's Raid
Abolitionist john brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at harpers ferry, virginia. Although brown's efforts were thwarted, it intensified fears among southerners of a widespread slave rebellion and deepened sectional tensions. -
Election of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln's victory in the presidential election, representing the newly formed republican party (anti-slavery stance), was perceived as a threat to the south's way of life. Southern states began seceding from the union in response to lincoln's election. -
Confederate States of America formed
In February 1861, representatives from the seceding states met in Montgomery, alabama, to form the confederate states of america. A new constitution was drafted, with provisions specifically protecting the institution of slavery. The formation of the confederacy solidified the divide between the north and south, making conflict nearly inevitable. -
Attack on Fort sumter
In April 1861, Confederate forces bombarded fort sumter, a federal garrison in charleston, south carolina. The attack marked the beginning of the american civil war and represented the first armed conflict between the union and confederacy. This event solidified the outbreak of war and prompted president lincoln to call for the mobilization of union forces. -
Crittenden Compromise
In an attempt to prevent secession and preserve the union, senator john j. crittenden proposed a series of constitutional amendments known as crittenden compromise. The compromise aimed to guarantee the protection of slavery in the existing slave states, extend the Missouri compromise line to the pacific, and prohibit congress from interfering with slavery.