-
Beginning of the Liberator
William Lloyd Garrison estblishes his anit-slavery newspaper, called the Liberator. It in turn, inspired other abolitionists to speak out, such as Fredrick Douglass, considered the most influential abolotionist speaker of this time. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner, a slave rebel, led other slaves to revolt and fight for freedom in Virginia, however the outcome was not what they wanted, They lost to the US, and in turn, tougher slave codes were enforced on slavery, and Turner was tried and hanged. -
Period: to
Slavery in the South
-
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a document created by Congressman David Wilmot. Its purpose was to ban slavery in the territories that were gained from the Mexican War. This Proviso was passed in the House but not passed in the Senate, where the South had greater representation. -
Free Soil Party Established
The Free Soil Party was made up of previous members of the Whig party and Democrats, who were anti-slavery. This party was focused on opposing slavery in the western states. Their argument was that free men on free soil made for a morally better lifestyle. They also worked to repeal discriminating laws against free African Americans. This party was later dissolved in 1852. -
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was established by Harriet Tubman when she was freed from slavery in 1849. It was a secret network of "stations" where free African Americans or abolitionists led the escaped slaves to each night for sanctuary. The slaves would try to escape to the North of the country or Canada. The Underground Railroad was a way to lead slaves to liberty, and rescued over 30,000 people. -
California is Admitted to the Union
The state of California was admitted to be part of the USA in 1850 as a free state. This was a big deal as Califonia was a lot of land and no slave owners could live there and practice slavery, it added one more to the balancing act of slave to free states. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was a stronger version of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793. This act was passed, penalizing officials that did not arrest an alleged runaway slave. This led to many free blacks being forced into slavery again, because no blacks had a right to trial, meaning no one could defend themselves against accusations. -
Uncle Toms Cabin is published
Harriet Beecher Stowe published her anti-slavery novel in 1852, and titled it Uncle Tom's Cabin. Stowe was an active abolitionist who was able to capture the reality of slavery in this book, which drew forth some very strong and mixed reactions. Many Southerners thought that the book was utterly false and slanderous. In response to that, Stowe published yet another novel, A Key to Uncle Tom's Cabin. Historians believe that this book was a major contributor to the start of the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a series of political confrontation between those for slavery and those against. It began when the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, allowing popular soverignty to decide what kind of states Kansas and Nebrask would be: slave or free. This led to many violent disagreements between the two groups. -
Dred Scott V. Sanford
As a slave, Dred Scott was taken from Missouri (slave state) to Illinois (free state) and wanted to argue for his independence. He tried to sue his previous owner, John Sanford to ask for freedom, but it was not granted. In a 7-2 decision, the Supreme Court denied Scott's request. The Court declared that African Americans, free or slave, could not be US citizens and had no right to sue in federal court. Pictured left is Dred Scott. -
Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown led a rebellion in Harper's Ferry, Virginia against the US Government. Brown and about 20 armed slaves revolted to speak out against slavery by seizing the US arsenal in Virginia. Brown's plan failed, and he was executed for acting on it. The slaves that lived were taken prisoner. -
1860 Election
In 1860, Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected the president. Many in the southern states were unhappy with this, and the results of the election caused extreme sectionalism wihtin the country. This led to uneasiness between the North and South, and before Lincoln was inaugurated, the South had seceded.
