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The Mexican War Ended
WIth the end of the Mexican War, we had to decide what states would be free states and which would be slave states, so Congress passed a law stating California as a free state and gave the people in Utah and New Mexico a choice. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The act that forced any federal official to pay a fine if they didnt arrest a runaway slave. This act increased the use of the Underground Railroad and made many abolitionists inrease their efforts on slavery. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe was released
Stowe was an abolitionist and wrote this book to show all the bad things about slavery. It helped increase abolition against slavery and even got President Abraham Lincoln's attention about one of the causes of the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas Shocked Northerners
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, which allowed Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether they wanted to be a free state or a slave state. Lots of violence erupted over the outcome of the Kansas decison, nicknaming it "Bleeding Kansas". -
Charles Sumner is Attacked by Preston on the Floor of the Senate
Border Ruffians ransack Lawrence,Kansas and a day later, violence occurs after Preston Brooks attacks Charles Sumner with a cane after Sumner's speech targeting pro-slavery forces. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott loses his case proving him to be a free man because the courts said even though he had been taken to a free state by his owner, slaves were still considered their owner's property. This led abolitionists to inrease their efforts agaisnt slavery. -
Lecompton Constitution Rejected
In 1857, Lecompton Constitution declares Kansas a slave state, but there was enough opposition that there was another vote where Kansas voters rejected the Constitution, making Kansas a free state in 1858. -
John Brown Raided Harper's Ferry
John Brown, who had been involved in anti-slavery violence in Kansas, led 17 people to raid the arsenal in Harper's Ferry,Virginia. Brown's idea of causing a slave uprising using the captured weapons failed because he and his team were soon captured and killed by Colonel Robert E. Lee's troops. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President
South Carolina and 6 other states secede from the Union. Lincoln agrees the South was becoming too powerful and made it part of his plan that slavery wouldn't extend to any other territories added to the Union.
