-
Missouri Compromise
Missouri would enter as a slave state, while Maine would enter as a free state. The 36'30" line was drawn to differentiate whether or not slaves can be in certain territories or not. -
Compromise of 1850
California becomes a free state. The areas apart of the Mexican Cession become divided into modern-day Utah and New Mexico. Slavery was now decided by popular sovereignty. It settles border issues between New Mexico and Texas. This compromise also ended the slave trade in Washington D.C. and made a strict fugitive law. -
Fugitive Slave Law
This law required citizens to catch runaway slaves. The person could be fined $1000 or put in jail for up to 6 months if they did not comply. Northerners hated this law because it forced them to be a part of the system of slavery. Many blacks who free were captured and went back into slavery. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
A novel written by Harriett Beecher Stowe. This novel was written to show the evil acts of slavery by telling the story of an old slave who was whipped to death by his owner. After reading it, many Northerners changed their view on slavery, while southerners said this book was full of lies. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act divides the lands into Kansas and Nebraska territories. This act decided that slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty. This led to violence in the Senate. This also caused more conflict because anti-slavery and pro-slavery settlers were in one area. Northerners believed that this act repealed the Missouri Compromise -
Pottawatomi Creek Killings
John Brown and four of his sons ride into a small town and pull five pro-slavery men out of their beds during the middle of the night. The men were murdered and John Brown believed that it's what God told him to do. Many Northerners were horrified by what he did although they didn't believe in slavery. -
Dred Scott Decision
A slave who lived in a free territory with his owner. His owner moved back into a slave state and then later died. Scott had abolitionist attorneys file a law suit for him and it went to the Supreme Court. He lost the case and the court ruled that he was not a citizen but rather property so he couldn't file a lawsuit. They also ruled that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories, which repealed the Missouri Compromise. Southerners loved the ruling, while Northerners hated it. -
Lincoln-Douglass Debate
Lincoln and Douglass debated. Douglass believed that slavery should be decided by popular sovereignty, while Lincoln believed that slavery should not be allowed to spread into the territories. Lincoln also believed that the nation could not survive if the union was to still be spread apart due to the slavery issues. -
Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown led five blacks and thirteen whites into Harper's Ferry. They came up with a plan to raid the arsenal and start a slave revolt. The conflict was that none of the slaves "rose" to help. Because of this problem, many of his men died and Brown was arrested by Robert E. Lee. Brown was tried and found guilty for murder and treason. They later hung him to death. Some of the Northerners viewed Brown as "someone who dies for his beliefs". -
Election
Lincoln vs Douglass:
The Southern states did not like Lincoln nor did they support what he believed in. Instead they favored Douglass but Lincoln still managed to win. The Southerners became extremely upset because they felt like their opinions didn't matter. This showed that the North had "more power".The Southerners then wanted to secede (withdraw) from the Union.
