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End Of Mexican War
When this war ended, the United States was given new territory. This was an issue because when this territory became states there would be a debate between whether they will be free or slave states. Congress then passed the compromise of 1850. This made California a free state and let Utah and New Mexico choose whether to be free or not. This policy was called POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY. This policy would cause huge conflicts between the North and South over time. -
Fugitive Slave Act
As an addition to the original plans of the Compromise, this act fined law officers who did not arrest runaway slaves. This would have been almost tolerable had it not been that even free slaves were lots of times still arrested just for vaguely fitting the description of a runaway slave. This act practically smashed the efforts the North had made in creating the free states. Controversy between the North and South continued to increase. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Also known as Life Among The Lowly, Harriet Beecher Stowe published this book about the hardships that slaves had to endear. A best seller at its time, hundreds of thousands of people read the book. The number of abolitionists substantially increased. It practically divided the country in half, one side being people who are for slavery, the other half abolitionists. Harriet Beecher Stowe is credited by Abraham Lincoln himself as, “Starting the civil war”. -
Bleeding Kansas
As I previously said before popular sovereignty was a conflict causing policy that caused an event called Bleeding Kansas. The Kansas-Nebraska act was passed allowing the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether they wished to be a free or slave state. This area instead turned out to be a war-zone fought by northerners and southerners.This was actually one of the first actual fights between the two sides, and a huge spark in the idea of civil war. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott, a slave, tried for his freedom in court. His original master died and the person to be his new owner lived in a free state. So once Dred Scott got into the new state he requested freedom. He was rejected. But they didn’t leave it at that instead they also said that he was still a slave and slaves are considered property. It says in the constitution that they cannot deny the right to property. This pissed off abolitionists, because it put a loophole for slavery in free stat -
John Brown Raided Harper's Ferry
John Brown was an abolitionist who was involved in anti-slavery violence in Kansas. He led a group of 17 members including 5 black people to raid the armory at Harper’s Ferry, West Virginia.
He was planning a slave rebellion with the weapons acquired from the armory. Directly after this raid happened he was surrounded and hanged. His dying words were, “I am certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with blood.” After he died abolitionists viewed him as a patriot. -
Abe Lincoln Was Elected President
As soon as Abe Lincoln was elected president six states seceded from the Union. Abraham Lincoln was not an extremist about getting rid of slavery but he did feel it should stop. Along with his other republicans he felt that the South was getting to powerful and that slavery absolutely could not further spread into other states added or already there. Not long after he was elected the civil war started.
