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Missouri Compromise of 1820
The House and Senate are deadlocked over the question of whether to admit Missouri as a slave state. There is some fear of civil war. As a compromise, Congress adopts an amendment that there shall be no restriction on slavery in Missouri, but the institution will be prohibited from Louisiana Territory north of 36º30' latitude. Protests continue as critics seek to refuse Missouri's admission unless the state passes legislation to provide for gradual emancipation
Missouri becomes a slave state -
Congress Passes Gag Rule
Congress votes to table antislavery petitions, prohibit their publication, and censor any discussion or even mention of them on the floor. This is otherwise known as the gag rule. It passes by the overwhelming margin of 117 to 68. Most northern Whigs vote against it, but most northern Democrats vote for it. -
Harriet Tubman Under Ground Rail Road
Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave who has settled in the North, begins helping other slaves flee captivity. By the start of the Civil War, Tubman will have aided at least 300 slaves in securing their freedom. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin is published in complete form (initially, it was printed as a series of articles in an abolitionist paper). It infuriates the South, where most states ban its sale. Still, some one million copies are sold within the first year of publication -
Dred Scott Decision
The U.S Supreme Court rules (7 to 2) in Dred Scott v. Sandford that slavery is protected by the Constitution and that a ban on slavery in the territories is unconstitutional. -
The Raid on Harper’s Ferry
Under the cover of darkness, radical abolitionist John Brown crosses the Potomac River with twenty-one men, including five blacks. They plan to incite a massive insurrection by arming local slaves with weapons from the federal arsenal. The plan backfires and ten of Brown's men are ultimately killed; his forces kill four, including a Marine. Brown and six others are apprehended. -
The Election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is elected president of the United States, defeating both Democratic candidates, Stephen Douglass and John Breckinridge, and the Constitutional Union Party candidate, John Bell.
