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Underground Railroad
African American slaves tried to seek shelter and escape slavery from the Underground Railroad. The railroad allowed many slaves to become free. Despite the name, the Underground Railroad was not a railroad but it was a series of secret routes and safe houses. This resulted in slaves living outside the US and in free states until the union victory at the end of the civil war and the 13th amendment being passed which abolished slavery. Learn more:
[http://www.historynet.com/underground-railroad] -
Invention of the Cotton Gin
Invented by Eli Whitney, the cotton gin provided a solution for an economic issue and changed agriculture and industrial America. Before the gin, slavery was becoming less popular because it was expensive and cotton was an extremely problematic crop. After the gin, there was more demand for cotton and salves. Slavery became a national issue and led to the civil war. Learn more:
[http://www.teenink.com/nonfiction/academic/article/456913/Impact-of-the-Industrial-Revoulution-The-Cotton-Gin/] -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Comprise divided America between slave states and free states. Jefferson said that this would cause a civil war, but other people said it was a solution. Whether it lead to the War or delayed it leaned on if you were in the North or South & your political views. Either way, it was an important step in the war that lead to freedom for many people and created a new way of living in the America. Primary Doc.
[https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=true&doc=22&page=transcript] -
Tariff of 1828 & Nullification Crisis
The N. made the S. buy goods from the N. by passing laws that put high taxes on goods from Europe. A debate went on for yrs until another tariff was passed. S. Carolina dared to secede but didnt when nullification was on the table. The gov. saw nullification as unfair and reacted w/ a bill that let the president to use military to enforce acts. A compromise was met later. Primary Doc.
[https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/Excerpts%20from%20the%20Tariff%20of%201828.pdf] -
The Liberator is Published
Abolitionist, William Lloyd Garrison published the liberator, a weekly newspaper. The liberator reached thousands world wide. Garrisons view on slavery made him either loved or hated by many Americans. Primary Document:
[https://courses.lumenlearning.com/ushistory1os2xmaster/chapter/primary-source-reading-the-liberator/] -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
The longest and deadliest period for slaves.The rebellion executed and 200 people were beaten. The slave rebellion was sustained in 1831. Learn more:
[http://docsouth.unc.edu/highlights/turner.html] -
Wilmot Proviso
He wanted to ban slavery in Mexico after the Mexican war. Because of slavery, Wilmot divided the North and South. Southerners wanted slavery in the South and Northerner didn't want slavery in the North so it was banned. Primary Document:
[https://catalog.archives.gov/id/2127333] -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 issued slavery in the North and passed 5 laws in the month of September. The fugitive slave act and slave trade were both abolished in Washington D.C . California was also a free state and the government that was created in Utah. Primary Document:
https://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=llcg&fileName=024/llcg024.db&recNum=288 -
Uncle Tom's Cabin is Published
This is an anti-slavery written by Stowe and helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War. It was the second best selling novel of that time period. This book also created stereotypes about African American people. Read the full book here/Primary Document:
[https://books.google.com/books/about/Uncle_Tom.html?id=3gUSAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button] -
Period: to
'Bleeding Kansas'
Bleeding Kansas was the period of violence after the settlement in Kansas. It included violent confrontations between anti-slavery and pro-slavery people in Kansas. The main question was if Kansas would ban or allow slavery. Learn more:
[https://causesofthecivilwar.wikispaces.com/“Bleeding+Kansas”] -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act had allowed both Kansas and Nebraska to decide if they wanted to allow slavery within their borders. This made many in the North angry, but it welcomed a lot of anti-slavery supporters. Violence then erupted and as the death toll rose the territory earned a new name, "The Bleeding Kansas". -
Brooks-Sumner Event
Charles Sumner gave a speech about the violence in Kansas to the senate and blasted the robbers from Missouri, balling them names. When Charles got injured it kept him away from the senate for several years, Brooks paid a fine of $300 for the assault. Learn more:
[https://causesofthecivilwar.wikispaces.com/Brooks-Sumner+Affair+1856] -
Dred Scott Decision
This was a legal case in the US Supreme Court that decided adored Scott, a slave living in a free state was not eligible for his freedom and slaves could never be citizens in the USA. It also declared that the free states established by the Missouri compromise was unlawful. This decision spiced up the controversy and made the country become closer into breaking out into a civil war. Learn more:
[http://www.americancivilwarforum.com/did-the-dred-scott-decision-actually-cause-the-war-365.html] -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
Lincoln and Douglas' 7 debates or the great debates took place throughout Illinois. The debates foreshadowed the issues that Lincoln would face as the president of the United States. The main issue that was discussed in the seven debates was slavery, despite Illinois being a free state. Learn more:
[https://causesofthecivilwar.wikispaces.com/The+Lincoln-Douglas+debates+1858] -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
Brown led a group of the federal army in Harper Ferry, Virginia. The raid was meant to destroy the institution of slavery. Brown was then executed for treason and murder. He was found guilty on November second. Browns som also died in the fighting. -
Election of 1860
In this election Abraham Lincoln was elected against Stephen Douglass. The electoral split between Northern and Southern, they were emblematic over this, mostly over slavery. Before Lincoln's inauguration, the seven Southern states seceded. This was the setting for the Civil War. -
Secession of Southern States
South Carolina was the first to leave the Union and form a new nation, this was called the "Confederate States of America". It was the most serious secession movement, it was defeated when Union armies defeated the confederates in Civil War. Primary Document:
[https://web.archive.org/web/19980128034930/http://sunsite.utk.edu/civil-war/reasons.html] -
Fort Sumter is Fired Upon
The battle of Fort Sumter was the first battle in the civil war which lasted four years. The battle killed and wounded 500,000 men and destroyed $5 billion in treasure. The confederate artillery assault of Andersons small union garrison in the unfinished fort was preceded by months of siege-like conditions. After the civil war, Fort Sumter was restored by the United States military. Learn more:
[http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/fort-sumter-fired-upon]