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War with Mexico
Texas was disputed between America and Mexico. The war increased tensions between the north and the south over adding new pro slavery and free states. -
Compromise of 1850
- California as a free state
- Utah and New Mexico choose whether they are free or slave states
- Fed Gov assumes Texas debt for taking disputed lands between Texas and New Mexico.
- Banned slave trade in D.C. but permitted whites to keep slaves
- New Fugitive Slave Law
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Underground Railroad
Slaves attempting to escape were helping by former slaves and Northern abolitionists. Southern slave owners saw it as assistance in theft -
Fugitive Slave Law
Runaway slaves tracked down were returned to their owners. Tensions between south slave owners and Northern Abolitionists -
Pro & Con Literature- Uncle Tom's Cabin
about brutal white slave owner.
It went against slave owners which made it banned in the south and was insight for the north. -
Republican Party est.
Composed of a coalition of free-soilers, antislavery Whigs, and Democrats. Opposed to the spread of slavery but not to the end of it. Called for the repeal of Kansas-Nebraska Act and the Fugitive Slave law in 1854 -
KS-NE Act
Due to the building of a railroad network, Nebraska was divided into two territories, Kansas and Nebraska. It gave the territories power of sovereignty which gave southerners power above the 36 30 line -
Bleeding Kansas
New England Emigrant Aid Company (1855) paid for the transportation of antislavery settlers to Kansas. Border ruffians made a legislature in Lecompton while Antislavery settlers made one in Topeka. 1856, pro slavery forces attacked free soil town of Lawrence. Caused fighting and the division of the Democratic party between the northern and southern factions. -
Sumner-Brooks Incident
Senator Charles Sumner verbally attacked the Democratic administration in a vitriolic speech. Personal charges against SC Senator Andrew Butler. Congressman Preston Brooks defended his uncles's honor by walking into the Senate chamber and beating Sumner over the head with a cane. Sumner never fully recovered. Event was another sign of growing passions on both sides. -
Panic of 1857
Midwestern farmers prices dropped and the unemployment rates in northern cities went up. South cotton prices were the same so they thought of the north as unnecessary. -
Pro & Con Literature- Impending Crisis of the South
showed the negatives of the South through statistics. Claimed that the south weakened the economy -
Lecompton Constitution
Buchanan had to decide to accept or reject a pro slavery state constitution for Kansas submitted by the Southern legislature at Lecompton. He asked congress to accept it but they denied because in 1858 it was overwhelmingly rejected.
Caused more dispute between north and south because of the extra power for the north. -
Dred Scott v Sandford
Scott sued for freedom after he had been taken into a free territory and had lived there for two years before he returned to Missouri. He argued that residence on free soil made him free. Supreme court voted against him.
1.No right to sue because Framers of Constitution did not intend on African Americans being citizens 2. If slaves were property then Congress could not exclude slaves from any federal territory. 3. Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Abraham Lincoln was a successful trial lawyer and a former member of the Illinois legislature. Lincoln believed that slavery was a morality issue but was not an abolitionist. Douglas won for reelection but Lincoln gained fame. -
John Brown's Raid
He tried to raid a federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry and arm Virginian slaves. Brown and six of his followers were tried for treason and hanged by the state of Virginia.
The south saw it as proof of the North's true intentions. -
Election of 1860
Breakup of Democratic Party. Stephen Douglas and vice president John C. Breckenridge as votes for democrats. Lincoln as republican and Know-Nothings voted for John Bell. Lincoln won and December of 1860 caused many secession's.
