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Period: to
1850's
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virginia and kentucky resolutions written
The resolutions argued that the states had the right and the duty to declare unconstitutional any acts of Congress that were not authorized by the Constitution. -
hartford convention meets during war of 1812
New England Federalists met to discuss their grievances concerning the ongoing War of 1812 and the political problems arising from the federal government's increasing power. -
missouri compromise
It prohibited slavery in the former Louisiana Territory north of the parallel 36°30′ north except within the boundaries of the proposed state of Missouri. It also added maine as a free state -
tariff of abominations passed
designed to protect industry in the northern United States. It was labeled the Tariff of Abominations by its southern detractors because of the effects it had on the antebellum Southern economy. -
south carolina tries to nullify
declared by the power of the State that the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832 were unconstitutional and therefore null and void within the sovereign boundaries of South Carolina -
abolition of slavery act
Parliament of the United Kingdom abolishing slavery throughout the British Empire -
texas declares independance from mexico
formal declaration of independence of the Republic of Texas from Mexico in the Texas Revolution. It was adopted at the Convention of 1836 at Washington-on-the-Brazos on March 2, 1836, and formally signed the following day after errors were noted in the text. -
james polk elected
he defeated henry clay and suprised everyone and he won because of his promise to annex texas -
wilmot proviso
one of the major events leading to the American Civil War, would have banned slavery in any territory to be acquired from Mexico in the Mexican War or in the futur -
mexican war
conflict between the United States of America and Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas,American forces quickly occupied New Mexico and California, then invaded parts of Northeastern Mexico and Northwest Mexico. -
california enters the union
In 1849, Californians sought statehood and, after heated debate in the U.S. Congress arising out of the slavery issue, California entered the Union as a free, nonslavery state by the Compromise of 1850. -
fugitive slave act enacted
It declared that all runaway slaves were, upon capture, to be returned to their masters. Abolitionists nicknamed it the "Bloodhound Law" for the dogs that were used to track down runaway slaves -
publication of Uncle Toms Cabin
featured the character of Uncle Tom, a long-suffering black slave around whom the stories of other characters revolve. The sentimental novel depicts the reality of slavery while also asserting that Christian love can overcome something as destructive as enslavement of fellow human beings.[3][4][5] -
formation of the republican party
It emerged in 1854 to combat the Kansas Nebraska Act which threatened to extend slavery into the territories, and to promote more vigorous modernization of the economy. It had almost no presence in the South -
kansas nebraska act
had the effect of repealing the Missouri Compromise of 1820 by allowing settlers in those territories to determine through Popular Sovereignty whether they would allow slavery within each territory -
lecompton constitution passed
The document was written in response to the anti-slavery position of the 1855 Topeka Constitution of James H. Lane and other free-state advocates -
charles sumner attacked
South Carolina Congressman nearly killed Sumner on the Senate floor two days after Sumner delivered an intensely anti-slavery speech called "The Crime against Kansas". In the speech, Sumner had characterized the attacker's uncle, South Carolina Senator Andrew Butler, as a pimp for slavery -
Bordan ruffians attack lawrence
pro-slavery activists from the slave state of Missouri, who in 1854 to 1860 crossed the state border into Kansas Territory, to force the acceptance of slavery there -
pottawatomie creek
In reaction to the sacking of Lawrence (Kansas) by pro-slavery forces, John Brown and a band of abolitionist settlers killed five settlers north of Pottawatomie Creek in Franklin County, Kansas. -
dred scott decision announced
the United States Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney, declared that all blacks -- slaves as well as free -- were not and could never become citizens of the United States. The court also declared the 1820 Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, thus permiting slavery in all of the country's territories. and that just because he was free before doesnt mean that he is free now. -
Lincoln-douglas debates
were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln, the Republican candidate for the Senate in Illinois, and the incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas, the Democratic Party candidate. At the time, U.S. senators were elected by state legislatures; thus Lincoln and Douglas were trying for their respective parties to win control of the Illinois legislature -
raid at harpers ferry
was an attempt by white abolitionist John Brown to start an armed slave revolt by seizing a United States Arsenal at Harpers Ferry in Virginia in 1859. -
formation of constitutional union party
It was made up of conservative former Whigs who wanted to avoid disunion over the slavery issue. was a political party that was formed in 1860 -
election of 1860
The United States had been divided during the 1850s on questions surrounding the expansion of slavery and the rights of slave owners. In 1860, these issues broke the Democratic Party into Northern and Southern factions, and a new Constitutional Union Party appeared. In the face of a divided opposition, the Republican Party, dominant in the North, secured enough electoral votes to put Abraham Lincoln in the White House without support from the South. -
democrates split in 1860
broke the Democratic Party into Northern and Southern factions, and a new Constitutional Union Party appeared.