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Missouri Comromise
In 1820, the terrirory of Missouri pettioned to be admitted to the union, but as a slave state. This was a problem because if Missouri was let in, balance in the House and Senate would be biased toward slave states. After much debate, Kentucky Senator Henry Clay had a suggestion: Missouri would be admitted, but on one condition. That condition was that the territory of Maine would be admitted as a free state, restoring balance. Although this kept balance, it kept the issue of slavery unsolved -
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Important dates and years
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Wilmot Proviso
In 1846, another debate over if a state would be slave or free sprung up. It began when America acquired a sizable amount of land from the Mexican American war. David Wilmot tried to settle it when he proposed a plan to ban slavery in all new territories gained from the war. This bill actually passed in the House but failed in the Senate where Southern influence was higher. -
Fugitive Slave Act
A law where southerners can take any African American and accuse him of being a runaway slave even if he was free. This was made so slave owners could claim random African Americans as their own. This put many free African Americans at risk, because if they got accused of being a slave, they could get brought back the the plantation and get beaten or killed. -
The Compromise of 1850
This compromise dealt with all prior issues involving new states and territories. It was from the mind of Henry Clay, the one who also made the Missouri Compromise. for the north, California would be a free state, the Utah and New Mexico territories decided pro or anti-slavery via popular sovereignty, and slavery would be banned in Washington D.C. But for the south, the Harsh Fugitive Slave Act was passed, infuriating northerners. And Texas got 10 million dollars, which they'd pay off to Mexico -
Fugitive Slave Act
This was part of the Compromise of 1850 that was meant to please the South. It was very harsh, and it meant that any black person, even if they weren't a former slave could be returned to the South. Northerners hated this law because it made Northerners decide their position on slavery. This further deepened tensions between the North and South -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
"Uncle Tom’s Cabin" was a novel made in 1852 was about how slavery was in the south. It showed how terrible slavery actually was and why it was a detriment to the US. It was written by an abolitionist named Harriet Beecher Stowe. This novel persuaded a lot of people turn to abolitionists as well. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
This was an act where the freedom of a state was determined by popular sovereignty. This happened because half the state did not want slavery in Kansas and Nebraska and half the state did. After this passed, the north was outraged and the south had supported the act. -
The Dred Scott Case
The Dred Scott case was a case where he Dred Scott tried to sue his salve owner for his freedom because he was an illegal slave. The judges didn’t get to his case for a decade, but when they did they said that he wasn’t actually a us citizen so he didn't have rights. Also, he couldn't sue because he was a slave so he had no rights to sue. -
The Lincoln Douglas debates
In 1858, what was meant as a normal election for Illinois senate turned out to be huge news around the country. This was because on one side, little known Republican Abraham Lincoln went up against Stephen Douglas, and they both had different views on slavery. Lincoln was against slavery while Douglas was for it. They went up in a series of seven debates across Illinois. Douglas would eventually be elected to the senate but Lincoln would be elected president just 2 years later. -
John Brown Raid
John Brown was a heavily religious man. He always brought a Bible with him and it was his motivation for being an abolitionist. He believed slavery was a huge sin and so he went to Harper's Ferry, Virginia with his many sons and raided the american arsenal. He received no help from local slaves like he hoped, but he defended the arsenal for 2 days before having to surrender. He would go on to be executed a few months later. -
Election of 1860
In 1860, Republican Abraham Lincoln went up against northern democrat Stephen Douglas, Southern democrat John Breckinridge, and Constitutional Union party John Bell. The democrats were split north and south over slavery so they had one representative for the north and south and over 82 percent of Americans voted. Although Lincoln was not even close to getting to popular vote and won 0 states in the south, he destroyed everyone on the electoral college and became the president -
Southern Secession
After Abraham Lincoln was elected, the south was furious and they seceded from the union then other states got mad and also secede. The states that seceded created a party called the confederacy and they got their own president and became their own union.
