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Mum Bett Case
Mum Bett sued her master for freedom after gaining knowledge of the language of the new Massachusetts State Constitution. She won her case, becoming the first African-American to win a court case for freedom and provoked change and the eventual abolition of all slaves in Massachusetts. -
Northwest Ordinance
This document organized the Northwest Territory, created states and their borders, and prohibited slavery in the Territory. -
3/5 Compromise
This was a compromise in the Constitution made by Northern and Southern states declaring ⅗ of a state’s population to be counted towards its total population. It was made because Southern states with large slave populations and less white people wanted more representation in Congress. -
Creation of the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney created the Cotton Gin, a machine used to separate cotton from its seeds. It sped up cotton production exponentially and made it profitable. -
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American Industrial Revolution
This was a period where America transitioned to large-scale manufacturing and industrialized within most industries. It began with the invention of the cotton gin, and with it came the rise of factories and factory workers. -
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Second Great Awakening
This was a period in which religion became an important part of society and people’s lives. Religious revivals—large, frenzied gatherings aimed to convert people to Christianity—were a large part of the Awakening. -
Louisiana Purchase
This was the purchase of around 828,000 square miles of land west of the Mississippi River by Thomas Jefferson from France. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise between Northern and Southern states concerning the admittance of Missouri into the union and its rules on slavery. Ultimately, both Missouri and Maine were granted statehood to maintain the balance between slave and non-slave states, and a line of latitude was designated as the border between slave and non-slave states. -
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Nat Turner’s Rebellion
Nat Turner led around 50 men into Southhampton, Virginia, in a violent revolt against slavery. Nat killed white slave owners and their families out of deep anger and hatred. -
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Mexican-American War
Angered by Texas’ annexation into the U.S. and disputing the territory, the Mexican army invaded the U.S.. The war ended with America winning and receiving Texas as well as land all the way to California. -
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California Gold Rush
After gold was found in California, around 300,000 people rushed there hoping to strike it rich -
Compromise of 1850
This compromise attempted to resolve disputes over the expansion and regulation of slavery. It allowed California to be admitted as a free state, tightened Fugitive Slave laws in the North, left slavery in the Utah and New Mexico territory up to popular sovereignty, and outlawed the slave trade in D.C.. -
Frederick Douglass gives July 4th Speech
Frederick Douglass gave a speech at an Independence Day celebration criticizing America’s actions and hypocrisy. -
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Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a period of great conflict in Kansas stemming from the confusion over slavery’s legality there. When the vote was supposed to be held concerning slavery’s legality, non-Kansans rushed there to vote and violence ensued. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act declared all new territories admitted into the union to determine their laws on slavery through popular sovereignty. -
Attack on Charles Sumner
Anti-slavery Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner was beaten with a cane on the Senate floor by pro-slavery Rep. Preston Brooks of South Carolina over an anti-slavery speech delivered by the Senator. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
After his master’s death, Dred Scott sued his master's wife under the pretense that since they lived in free states at some points, Scott should be a free man. The court ruled that Scott wasn’t a citizen of the U.S. and therefore couldn’t sue and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional and Congress couldn’t limit slavery in the territories. -
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Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown led men into Harpers Ferry, Virginia with the goal of seizing the federal armory there and using violence to protest slavery. The raid was unsuccessful and Brown was hanged. -
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Southern Secession
During this time, 11 Southern states succeeded from the union. They were angered by the potential abolition of slavery and losing power and influence in the government. -
Election of 1860
The presidential election with candidates Abraham Lincoln, John Breckenridge, Stephen Douglas, and John Bell, was held, and Lincoln won both the electoral college and the popular vote. The country was very much divided, with the North voting for anti-slavery Lincoln and much of the South voting for Breckenridge. -
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Shots fired at Ft. Sumter
This was the official start of the fighting in the American Civil War. Union troops (Northern troops) stationed at Fort. Sumter in South Carolina were attacked by the South Carolina militia. Union lost and surrendered the fort to the Confederate militia.