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Mexican War Ends
The territories that were fought for in the Mexican War were added to the U.S, which sparked a debate as to whether they would be free states or slave states. California was made free and the states of Utah and New Mexico could choose for themselves -
Period: to
Antebellum Period
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Fugitive Slave Act gets passed
This was apart of the compromise of 1850, this act forced the North to return any runaway slave back to their slave owner -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin" is published
This was a book that described the horrors of being a slave written by Harriet Beecher who met with slaves to interview them -
Bleeding Kansas Riots
After the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was passed which allowed Kansas and Nebraska to choose whether or not they were free states or not, there were riots by people of Anti Enslavement and Pro Enslavement as to what the state would end up as -
Charles Sumner attacked on U.S. Senate Floor
During Bleeding Kansas, Preston Brooks attacked Senator Sumner after Sumner gave a speech condemning pro-enslavement supporters -
Dred Scott Loses His Case to be Free
Dred Scott was an enslaved person who was being held in a free state, which he then brought to the U.S Supreme Court to see if he could be freed, but since he was considered property to his owner, he lost his case -
Kansas Voters Reject the Lecompton Constitution
Kansas determining whether or not it would be a free state would be a long battle, eventually the Lecompton Constitution (which would make Kansas a slave state) was brought up, and rejected by the voters -
John Brown Raids Harper's Ferry
John Brown was an anti-enslavement activist who raided an arsenal located in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, He and his men were eventually captured and Brown was tried and hanged for treason -
Abraham Lincoln is Elected President
Abraham Lincoln, an anti-enslavement figure, was elected as President of the United States
