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Missouri Compromise
Once Missouri asked for permission to enter the Union as a slave state, it upset the balance between slave and free states. To keep Missouri and the rest of the states happy, the Union also admitted Maine as a free state. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850. It required citizens to help catch runaway slaves and allowed any government official to arrest anybody thought to be a runaway slave. Unfortunately for runaway slaves, there was no right to trial. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin (#2)
Harriet Beecher Stowe published Uncle Tom's Cabin in 1852. The book became very popular in the North and influenced peoples' views on slavery. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was violence between proslavery and anti-slavery settlers that lasted for eight years. The Kansas- Nebraska Act overturned the Missouri Compromise meaning that popular vote chose whether a state was a free or slave state. Both types of settlers travelled to Kansas to influence the decision and fought for control. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott lived with his owner in a free state for a certain amount of time. When they moved back to a slave state, Dred Scott still believed he was free. This miscommunication sent his dilemma into court where the judge declared Scott was a slave living in a slave state. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown and supporters attacked a town called Harper's Ferry in West Virginia. Their goal was to seize the guns the U.S. army stored there. Brown was captured and convicted of murder and treason. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected President (#1)
Abraham Lincoln ran for president against John Breckinridge, John Bell and Stephen Douglas. Although he was elected as the first Republican to be president, he didn't win by much.
