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Invention of the Cotton Gin
Eli Whintey invented the Cotton Gin finding a more efficient way to refine picked cotton. SInce cotton was Amefica's leading export at the time, Whitney found a easier way for slaveholders to speed up the process. The machine could remove seeds from 50 pounds of cotton in a single day. -
Missouri Compromise
As tensions rose betweeen pro-slavery and anti-slavery states Missouri declared to be a slave state although that would upset the free-state and slave-state balance. Congress compromised that it would allow Missouri to be a slave state although Maine was made a free state. An imaginary border was also set between slave and free states. -
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass
Douglass' gave his input on slavery with his narrative, telling the story if his days a s a slave and how he overcame them to become one of America's gretest abolitionists. He shows the crulety that went on from a front seat point of view and questions the true meaning of freedom and how people can hide the truth once power is abused. -
Free Soil Party
A very influential party before the Civil War, it fought for the abolition of slavery in the southern states, being afraid that slavery would spread too much around America. As time went on though, the party was givien little power when voting resulting in them not being able to voice ther beliefs as they wished. -
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
After spending years a slave, Harriet Tubman decided to excape towards the North in search of money and opportunity. She found what she needed, yet had the courage to go back to her slave state multiple times to save other fellow slaves. Rewards were set out for her yet she still carried out her act that she believed was correct. -
Compromise of 1850
After the election of 1848 a lot of decisions were at hand. California was allowed a free state, fugitive slave act came into place, Texas surrendered claims to New Mexico paying $10 million. Also, the alve trade in Washington D.C. was banned. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The law required that all escaped slaves upon capture would return back to its slaveholder. Abolitionists in the north would call this the Blloodhound law because of the slaveholders seeking their "animal" in a way. Did not allow the north to fight against this law so they could do nothing. -
Hariet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was an anti-slavery novel featuring a slave who met the hardships of slavery yet believed in Christianity and hoped to reach freedom. A very powerful book by a strong abolitionist that some believe layed the groundwork for the Civil War. The book most definitely helped boost the abolitionist movement. -
Bleeding Kansas
Also called the Border War, this conflict lasted from 54-61. It was caused due to the fight between slavery and free soil which overtime escalated to the point of a war. This was a small preview of the Civil War and did not bring balance to the states, just brought more hatred between the north and south. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act opened the lands for settlement and allowed males to chose based on popular sovereignty whether slavery should be allowed in those states. The act also broke the Missouri Compromise of 1820, and as both pro and anti-slavery men came to Kansas it caused an uproar leading to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Vs. Sandford
The Supreme Courth held that since slaves weren't considered citizens, the governement had no power to decide whether a state was free or not, it was up to the local government. Dred Scott an African American slave attempted to sue for his freedom although lost the case. This was the only time where an Act of Congress was ruled onconstitutional. -
Election of 1860
The election served as the spark to the Civil War due to the continuous uprising questions of whether America would be completely free or complete slave states. As the Republican Party rose, Abraham Lincoln wonthe election and he fought to end slavery although the south sought to fight back and with that started the Civil War. -
Civil War
The war was between the north and south and lasted all the way through to 1865. This was the fight for slave states and free states, brothers against brothers fighting for what they believed in. Considered the deadliest war in American History with more than 750,000 deaths. As the south felt that they were losing representation with Abraham Lincoln in office, they decided to hit back with a strong blow that would remain America's bloodiest war.