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The Missouri Compromise
Henry Clay, wanting to keep the balance of power in Congress, proposed the Missouri Compromise in 1820. In order to admit Missouri into the Union as a slave state, Maine also had to be added as a free state. In addition, the Missouri Compromise Line proclaimed that all future states north of the line would be free territory. However, the Missouri Compromise did not solve the issue of slavery, but came up with a tenuous and temporary solution. -
Wilmot Proviso
A state representative by the name of David Wilmot proposed a bill to Congress. If approved, it would ban slavery in all Mexican Cession territories. It was approved by the House of Representatives, but not by the Senate. The Wilmot Proviso was meant to please the North, however the South viewed it as a attack on slavery. This worsened the tension between the free and slave states. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay’s Compromise of 1850 was a series of five laws meant to solve the issue of slavery. To please the North, California was admitted to the Union as a free state and the slave trade was banned in Washington D.C. To please the South, popular sovereignty would be used to decide slavery in the rest of the Mexican Cession, and tough new fugitive slave laws were enacted. Neither the North nor the South were satisfied with the Compromise, so it ultimately failed to serve its purpose. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act, part of the Compromise of 1850 put in place to please the South, stated that anyone accused of being a runaway slave could be arrested and returned to their supposed owners. This affected all African Americans, slave or free. Now more than ever Northerners were convinced that slavery was an immoral evil. They were upset they would now have to take part in, even indirectly, the foul act of slavery. Consequently, Northerners started to fight back against the law. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, published by the abolishinist Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1853, was a historical fiction novel written about a slave abused by his owner. The book was written to condemn slavery. It opened Northerner's eyes to the immoral horrors of slavery, which resulted in more people joining the abolitionist movement. However, the people in the South discredited the novel, claiming it a piece of fiction filled with misleading lies to persuade people to join the antislavery movement. -
Kansas Nebraska Act / Bleeding Kansas
The Kansas Nebraska Act, proposed by Stephen Douglas in 1854 and signed by President Franklin Pierce, was an act that allowed Kansas and Nebraska to decide on their status of slavery through popular sovereignty. Since both territories resided above the Missouri Compromise line, the South was elated over this act, having nothing to loose. People moved from all over to influence the majority vote as either a free or slave state. Eventually, violence broke out in Kansas and even Congress. -
The Dred Scott Case
In 1857, Dred Scott, a slave moved to a free state by his owner sued for his freedom, thinking the anti slavery laws of the territory should apply to him. The court declared he didn’t have the right to sue because slaves were not US citizens, and living in a “free” state didn't make Scott himself free. In fact, it was ruled that Congress didn't have the authority to ban slavery in any state. With slavery now legal in all territories, Southerners rejoiced and Northerners prepared to take action. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
Abraham Lincoln and Fredrick Douglas held numerous debates to run for state senator. Mostly, the debates revolved around the issue of slavery. Douglas believed in letting Popular Sovereignty decide whether territories are free or slave states, whereas Lincoln believed states did not have the right to vote on slavery. Lincoln thought slaves should have rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Although Douglas won the election, Lincoln gained a platform and he became a household name. -
John Brown's Raid
In 1859, John Brown, an extremist abolitionist, led an attack on Harper’s Ferry to help free the slaves and was captured, sentenced, and hung to death. Unlike other abolitionists, Brown believed violence was needed to end slavery. Brown’s motivation was religion; he claimed the Bible instructed him to care for the poor and enslaved. Northerners praised Brown’s attempt at a slave revolt and mourned his death, while Southerners used Brown to prove the North was out to destroy their lifestyle. -
Lincoln Election
Abraham Lincoln was elected President, in 1860, after winning the electoral college votes of all the free states. Since the Democratic Party was divided over the issue of slavery, their votes were split between Stephen Douglas and John Breckinridge. John Bell was nominated by the new Constitutional Union Party. The views of Lincoln were supported by the North, where he garnered votes, but opposed by the South. Lincoln's win resulted in Southern sucession, instigating the start of the Civil War. -
The Southern Secession
Unhappy with the election of Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina seceded from the Union, followed by Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missisippi, and Texas. So, the Confederacy was formed, with Jefferson Davis as President. On April 12, 1861, the Confederates attacked Fort Sumter, causing US troops there to finally surrender and hand over the last bit of federal property. Virginia, North Carolina, Tennesse, and Arkansas all seceded after the fall of Fort Sumter, sparking many battles to come.
