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Missouri compromise of 1820
There was a disagreement in 1819 when congress considered Missouri's application to enter the union as a slave state. The union had 11 free and Slave states so adding Missouri as a slave state would have tipped the balance in the senate in favor of the south. So Henry clay convinced congress to agree to the Missouri compromise, which settled the conflict that had arisen. One of the conditions had said that Maine was to join the union as a free state. -
Wilmot Proviso
At the time in 1846 some northerners wanted to outlaw slavery in all parts of the Mexican cession, and president James K. Polk wanted to extend the 36 30' line to the west coast. During the war representative David Wilmot offered the Wilmot Proviso. It was a document stating that, "neither do slavery nor involuntary servitude shall ever exist in any part of the territory." The Wilmot Proviso didn't pass yet it caused a debate that showed growing sectionalism. -
Compromise of 1850
There were still problems with the balance of slave and free states. With the compromise California was entered the union as a free state, the rest of the Mexican cession was divided into 2 territories (Utah and New Mexico) wether they were going to allow slavery was determined by popular sovereignty. The compromise also outlawed slave trade in the District of Columbia and s
Established a new fugitive slave law. -
Fugitive Slave act
There was a problem with too many slaves escaping on the Underground Railroad so they passed the Fugitive Slave act in 1850. The act made it a crime to help runaway slaves and allowed officials to arrest those slaves in free areas. If people were caught helping a runaway slave, they faced 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. -
Kansas-Nebraska act
There was a proposal to build a railroad to the west coast helped revive the slavery controversy and opened a new period of sectional conflict. Douglas asked a few key southern senators to support his plan, they agreed to it if the new territory west of Missouri was opened to slavery. Douglas introduced what became the Kansas-Nebraska act. It would divide the remainder of the Louisiana purchase into 2 territories, Kansas and Nebraska and allows the people in each territory to decide on slavery. -
Bleeding Kansas
Settlers moved to Kansas to live in peace, but the problem with slavery began to affect everyone. In April 1856 a congressional committee arrived in Kansas to decide which government was legitimate. Committee members said the election of the pro-slavery legislature was unfair but the federal government didn't agree. There were many attacks on pro-slavery people by the abolitionists in Kansas killing many people. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott is a slave for Dr. John Emerson who lived in St. Louis Missouri. In the 1830's Emerson took Scott on tours of duty in Illinois and Wisconsin territory. When they returned Emerson had died and scott become the slave of Emerson's widow. Scott sued for his freedom stating that he lived in a state that banned slavery so he was no longer a slave. The court ruled that African Americans weren't considered citizens of the United States, so they don't have the right to sue in federal court. -
Lincoln Douglas debates
Illinois republicans nominated Lincoln for the u.s senate, and his opponent was a democrat, Stephen Douglas had represented Illinois in the senate since 1847. Lincoln had challenged Douglas in many debates. In every debate Lincoln stressed that the central issue of the campaign was the spread of slavery in the west. He said democrats were trying to spread slavery across the nation.
