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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise that said that Missouri could become a state if it allowed any state below it to be slave states. In late 1819, there was a debate in Congress about what kind of state Missouri would be admitted as. They knew that either way, Missouri's admittance would disrupt the balance between the Free and Slave states. However, Henry Clay made the compromise and it was later approved on March 3rd, 1820. -
Missouri Compromise
This compromise was important since it allowed Missouri to become a state and established the Missouri Compromise line at the 36th parallel. -
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The Civil War
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Wilmot Proviso
In an effort to create peace between the north and the south, a congressman named David Wilmot tried to write the Wilmot Proviso, a document that proposed the idea that any territory gained after the Mexican-American war would be banned of slavery. It was never actually used. President Polk sought 2 million dollars to try to pass the law, but it was erased due to southern dominated senate. It only inflamed the issue. It took place in the House of Representatives and Mexico before it was erased. -
The Compromise of 1850
Even though it wasn't successful, without this Compromise, the Civil War would have occurred much sooner and it may have had a different ending. -
The Compromise of 1850
In 1850, the Civil War was drawing closer and closer, and the North and South were on the verge of splitting. Henry Clay wanted to keep the union together, so he passed a series of laws, later known as the Compromise of 1850. The new laws included making the Slave Trade illegal in Washington D.C., getting the Fugitive Slave Act amended, California becoming a free state, and Texas selling some of its borders to Utah. However, this compromise didn't work for very long. Later, the union split. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed by congress as part of the compromise of 1850, and conflicting interests between the north and the south. This act proclaims that if any northern free states find a fugitive slave in their state, they have to report it immediately to an officer. If they don't, or they help a slave, they would get into trouble. This was another effort to try to save the north and the south from fighting. This event impacted history by making slaves easier to find. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel about slavery and how terrible it was. On March 20th, 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe published "Uncle Tom's Cabin". This book proved to be highly controversial, making many people in the North abolitionists and making people in the south believe that this book was just controversy from the North. This book was very important in American History since it practically ignited the Civil War. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act was an act passed by congress to make sure that the state was allowed to vote on whether wanted, or didn't want slavery. This is called popular sovereignty. This event impacted history by causing many people with different views to travel to Kansas to get their vote in. This was called Bloody Kansas. -
Bleeding Kansas
When congress deciding to let the future of slavery or non-slavery of Kansas into the hands of the people, also known as popular sovereignty, in order to make it fair. This caused many people from around the world, with mixed viewpoints, to come to Kansas to cast their vote. This caused much violence and death due to stark differences between views, and is much of the reason why we have voting requirements and registration today. -
Dred Scott Case
On April 9th, 1847, Dred Scott, a slave, tried to sue his owners for having slaves in the free states of Illinois and Wisconsin. 10 years later, the court decided that he couldn't sue them since he was black and blacks weren't US citizens, so he remained a slave. This caused outrage in the north as they wanted him to be freed. This case was important since it made abolitionists start to speak out and it led to the Civil War three years later. -
Lincoln Douglas debate
On the issue of slavery, two rivals on the political battlefield went at it in a number of seven debates in Illinois. Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas were strictly different in views, Abraham was republican and believed that slavery should be contained where it is; and Stephen, who thought that the people should decide on the issue of slavery. These debates took place to try to settle the issue on what they should do about slavery. They made people know what side they were on for voting. -
John Brown's Attack on Harper's Ferry
From October 16th to October 19th, 1859, John Brown led a revolt in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. He wanted slaves to revolt against their masters and fight against slavery. However, this never happened. He was caught on October 19th, 1859 by future Confederate army leader Robert E. Lee. He was sentenced to death. This revolt further split the country apart and led it closer to civil war. -
Election of 1860
In the fight for the presidency in 1860, four candidates were fighting for the role to lead the country through the Civil War. There was Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, John Breckenridge, and John Bell. The reason this was so intense of an election is that the country needed a president to bring the country back together. Another point was that viewpoints were so different in every inch of America at the time. When Abraham Lincoln was elected in 1860, seven states seceded from the Union. -
Secession
On December 20th, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the United States since they felt that Abraham Lincoln, the new president, would take away their slaves. They were followed by Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, Florida, Virginia, and other Southern states to form the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis was elected as their first president. Robert E. Lee was appointed as the general. -
Secession
This was an extremely critical to US history since it started the Civil War between the Confederate States of America and The Union.
