-
Missouri Compramise
Afraid the Union would breakup, Congress agreed to a compromise crafted by Represenative Henry Clay. The Missouri Compromise admitted Missouri to the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state. At the time, Congress drew an imaginary line across the Louisiana Purchase at latitude 36*30'. North of the line, slavery was to be banned forever, except in Missouri, and south of the line, slaveholding was permitted. -
Nat Tuner's Slave Rebellion
After Nat Turner's slave rebellion, resentment turned to fear. Southern states adopted strict new laws to control the movement of slaves. Nat Turner's rebellion was the last large-scale slave revolt, but individual slaves continued to rebel by running away to freedom in the North. -
The "Gag Rule"
In 1836 Congress voted to set aside, indefinitely, all antislavery petitions. The gag rule prevented consideration of an antislavery proposal by John Quincy Adams. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso stated that "neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist" in any part of the territory that might be acquired from Mexico as a result of the Mexican- American War. The Southerners in Congress strongly opposed Wilmot's amendment. The Wilmot Proviso passed House, but it was rejected by the Senate. -
California's Admission
California applied for admission to the Union as a free state in the late 1849. Southerners rejected California's request because they believe that California being a free state would upset the balance between slave and free states. The year ended with Congress deadlocked over California's request. -
The Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay's new comprimise began by admitting California to the Union as a free state, while allowing New Mexico and Utah territories decide whether to allow slavery. Clay's plan ended the slave trade in Washington, D.C, and the plan called for passage of a strong fugitive slave law. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was written by Harrirt Beecher Stowe and was published in 1852. In the South, the novel and its author were scorned and cursed. In the North, Uncle Tom's Cabin made millions of people even more angry about the cruelities of slavery. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Senator Stephen A. Douglas made a bill that created two new territories, Kansas and Nebraska. The bill also abolished the Missouri Compromise by leaving it up to settlers themselves to vote on whether to permit slavery in the two territories. -
Ostend Manifesto
The Ostend Manifesto was a message sent to the secretary of state by three American diplomats who were meeting in Ostend, Belgium. The message urged the U.S. government to seize Cuba by force if Spain continued to sell the island. Northeners became angry and charged that Pierce's administration wanted to buy Cuba in order to add another slave state to the Union. -
Lawrence, Kansas
Proslavery settlers and so-called "border ruffians" from Missouri invaded Lawrence, Kansas. Armed invaders burned a hotel, looted several homes, and tossed the printing presses of two abolitionist newspapers into the Kaw River. The raid on Lawrence provoked a wave of outrage in the North. -
Violence in Congress
In 1856, Senator Charles Sumner voiced his suspicions in a passionate speech called "The Crime Against Kansas." Sumner described the "crime against Kansas" as a violent assult on an innocent territory. Copies of his speech were quickly printed up for distribution in the North. Two days after the speech a southerner attacked Sumner in the Senate. -
The Dred Scott Decision
The slavery controversy shifted from Congress to the Supreme Court to decide a case concerning a Missouri slave. The man went to court to win his freedom and argued that his stay in Wisconsin had made him a free man. The court declared that Scott could not become a citizen and the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. -
The Lincoln-Douglas Debate
In 1858 Republican in Illinois nominated Abraham Lincoln to run for the Senate. Lincoln's opponent in the Senate race was Senator Stephen Douglas. Lincoln lost the election, but the debates were widely reported, and they helped Lincoln become a national figure. -
John Brown's Raid
In 1859, John Brown launched his raid to use the weapons to arm slaves for a rebellion to end slavery. All of Brown's men were killed or captured during the raid. Brown himself was convicted of treason and sentenced to die. Many Northeners viewed Brown as a hero. -
The Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election in 1860. The Southerners soon feared, Congress would try to abolish slavery. Alarmed senators formed a committee to search for yet another compromise that might hold the nation together. -
Secession of South Carolina
In Charleston, South Carolina, delegates attending a state convention voted to leave the Union. Six more states soon followed South Carolina's lead. In February those states joined together as the Confederate States of America. -
Senate Committee
The first meeting was held on December 20, 1860. Just as the senators began their work, event in a distant citie dashed their hopes for settlement. In Springfield, Illinois, a reporter aske whether Lincoln could support on slavery. He would not interfere with slavery in the South and he would support enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act. -
Fort Sumter
A month after Confederates in Charleston, South Carolina, forced the issue of Civil War. On April 12. 1861, they opened fire on Fort Sumter. After 33 hours of heavy shelling, the defenders of the fort hauled down the Stars and Stripes and replaced it with the white flag of surrender.
