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Compromise of 1850
A series of five seperate bills passed in September of 1850 that caused a four year long confrontation between slave states of the south and free states in the north. This disscued the future of the newly acquired states from the Mexican American War to be slave states or free states. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law or Act was passed by the US congress in Sept of 1850 as a compromise between the north and south. Very controversial because it required all citizens to return escaped slaves to their masters upon capture to their owner. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Publication
Written by, Harriet Beecher Stowe this novel "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War' to abolish slavery. The book is based on the character of Uncle Tom, who was a long suffered black slave that depicts the reality of slavery. It became the best selling novel of the 19th centry. -
Kansas–Nebraska Act
This act was responsable for creating the two territories of Kansas and Nebraska that opened new land for occupancy which repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820. They repealled the Miss. Comp because they determined that through popular sovereignty to decide whether or not to allow these territories to have slavery with in them which caused many people to be uspet with the way it was decided. -
Birth of the Republican Party
This party was founded by the northern states in 1854 by anti-slavery activists, that quickly became competetion against the dominant Democratic Party. The first convention was held in July of 1854 whos view was to preseve the union, end slavery and to provide equal rights to all men in the civil war and recontruction. -
Brooks attacks Sumner in Senate
On May 19, 1856, Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner; an strong abolotionist began a two day speech about the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 that he claimed was a "crime against Kansas' and blasted three of his colleagues one being Andrew P. Butler. His cousin, Preston Brooks of SC defended his beliefs and personally beat the crap out of Sumner before other congressman could break them up. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
This case involved Dred Scott, a free African American slave that attempted to sue for his freedom because he was brought to free territories and states by his owners and not declared an american citizen. This case was argued two times in 1856 and the final descion was decided on March 6, 1857 which was that African American slaves, enslaved or free could not be deemed citizens therefor not giving them the right to sue in a federal court. -
John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown and 20 other white abolitionist men that joined him perfromed an attempt to start an armed slave revolt in 1859 trying to seize the US arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Brown originally asked Harriet Tubman who was not able to participate due to sickeness and Frederick Douglas that decline because he believed Browns plan would fail as it did as he was defeated by the US Marines. -
The Election of 1860
With the US divided among the north and south in 1860 and the entry of a new republican party president that was Abraham Lincoln. Many staes in the Sounth delcared succession before Lincoln was inaugurated in fear of slavery being abolisged which caused chaos within the union. -
Shots fired at Fort Sumter, SC
Fort Sumter is South Carolina is located in the Charleston Harbor, its best known for the first events that started the American Civil war. This fort was built shortly after the War of 1812 and named after the revolutionary war hero, General Thomas Sumter
