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Second Great Awakening
A period of renewed social importance of religion. The ideals of the second great awakening were anti slavery in a moral way. This forced southern enslavers to modify their justification for slavery. -
Creation of Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney developed a machine to separate the cotton fiber from dirt and twigs so that one can spin the cotton quicker.
It increased the demand for slaves in the US. This was because the plantation owners needed more slaves to work the gin. -
Louisiana Purchase
France sells the Louisiana Territory to the US for 15 million dollars.
It increased the spread of slavery into the West. Increased tensions between pro and anti slavery people. -
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American Industrial Revolution
This was a period where machines and factories started to become a main aspect of the industry in the US, where products became mass produced. This increased the sectional differences between the industrialized North and the agricultural South. It also created differed ideas on tax laws. -
Missouri Compromise
To keep the balance of pro and anti slavery states, the US admitted Missouri to the union as a slave state, and Maine as a free sate.
The compromise of the Mason Dixon line will eventually be overturned by the Dred Scott case. The line further divides the people of the US by the issue of slavery. -
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Nat Turner’s Rebellion
A rebellion of enslaved Virginians led by Nat Turner, which ended up killing 55-65 people. This caused fugitive slave laws to become more strict. It also caused enslavers to be more wary and harsh to their slaves. -
Nullification Crisis
This was the conflict between the US government and South Carolina over the federal Tariffs of 1828 and 1832. It furthered the tensions of the North and South. Showed how eager states were ready to secede. -
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Mexican American War
This was a war between the United States and Mexico over the Texas annexation. People rushed to Texas because of Manifest Destiny. It was good land for plantations so it was mostly enslavers that rushed there. -
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California Gold Rush
James Marshall discovered gold in California which prompts mass migration of people hoping to strike it rich. California wants to become a free state which makes southerners angry. They think it is a direct attack on southerners since most of it is below the Mason-Dixon Line. -
Compromise of 1850
It allowed California to become a free state, but also strengthened fugitive slave laws, implemented popular sovereignty in multiple territories, and allowed Slavery in D.C. Southerners were angry that it would tip the number of free state senators. It made the southern states want to secede more. -
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Harriet Beecher Stowe writes Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Harriet Breecher Stowe wrote an anti-slavery novel detailing the lives of a slaves. Lots of people read it and became abolitionists. It swayed a lot of people who were in the middle about slavery. -
Fredrick Douglas gives 4th of July Speech
Fredrick Douglas, an abolitionist, gave a speech about the horrors of slavery. This helps more people become abolitionists. Douglas gives a first person perspective on the mistreatment that he has experienced which helps persuade people. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska bill stated that all remaining territories would determine the issue of slavery based on popular sovereignty.
Both states were above the Mason Dixon Line, so northerners got angry because they should be free states due to the Missouri compromise. People from both sides started questioning which laws they needed to follow. -
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Bleeding Kansas
Northerners and southerners go to Kansas to vote on slavery.
Kansas becomes a slave state. This causes violence to erupt on both sides, killing over 200 people. -
Attack on Charles Sumner
Senator Charles Sumner was attacked by a pro slavery Democrat from South Carolina. This showed how unstable the government had become. It also increased tensions in the government between lawmakers. -
Dred Scott Vs. Sanford
Dred Scott, a slave, goes to court claiming that he is in fact free because he had traveled to a free state. The Supreme Court found out that their own ruling of the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. It limited popular sovereignty in territories. -
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Raid on Harper’s Ferry
John Brown raids Harpers Ferry in an attempt to start a slave revolt in the south. John Brown’s revolt gets stopped. It causes the southern military to be strengthened. -
Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln wins the election, but only with a 60% popular vote.
Since there are more people living in the north, there are more electoral votes, therefore, Lincoln won without being on the ballot in 10 southern states. Southerners were angry that their opinion didn’t really matter. -
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Southern Cession
Southern states begin to secede from the United States and create the Confederacy. This is the breaking point between southerners and northerners. War is beginning to become a topic that is greatly discussed. Tensions are high. -
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Shots Fired at Fort Sumter
This was the official start of fighting in the American Civil War. Union troops (northern troops) stationed at Ft. Sumter in South Carolina were attacked by the South Carolina militia. Union troops lost and surrendered the fort to the Confederate militia. Unlike previous acts of violence, this was the first time violence broke out between organized military troops. Fighting in the Civil War would continue for 4 more years after this event.