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Period: to
Pre-Civil War to Reconstruction Era
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California and Texas Statehood
The compromise of 1850 was brought about by the Mexican War and California's Gold Rush. After the Mexican War and Texas is claiming to be a slave state because its under the demarcation line of the Missouri Comrpomise was a slave state and Texas was claiming land above the 36°30' of that very same Missouri Compromise of 1820.
After the Gold Rush, California was looking for statehood. Under the Califronian constitution slavery was banned, because most of California lie under the 36°30'- -
California and Texas Statehood
many Southeners suggested that California become a slave state. -
Compromise of 1850 cont'd
As often with compromise southern states are left unhappy. The idea of secession during this time came up, This led to the South to accepting and considering the idea of secession as a true possibility. One of the first steps towards the Civil War was the idea of seceding. -
Compromise of 1850
Southeners threatened to secede if California was admitted as a free state and if the border disputes of Texas were not settled. Henry Clay proposed a series of resolutions, after obtaining the support of Senator Daniel Webster of Massachusets. Henry Clay aimed to make Northerners and Southerns happy. Admitting California as a free state to make the Northeners happy and to make the South happy they created a stricter fugitive slave law. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Popular Sovereignty brought up during the Compromise of 1850, was the idea that people would vote whether a state should be free or slave states. Kansas and Nebraska both lie north of the 36°30' so slavery was illegal. Stephen Douglas introduced into a bill in Congress January 23, 1854. That would divide Nebraska and Kansas into two states. If this passed the Missouri Compromise would be repealed. Some Congressmen saw this a way to turn free states into slave states. It eventually became law. -
Bleeding Kansas
This was the only time in history when people actually moved to a state just to vote. It was the time to decide if Kansas would be free or hold slaves. Finally when Kansas had a large enough population they held an election for the territorial legislature. Missouri citizens had moved into the Kansas area and voted illegally and won a majority for the proslavery candidates. Angered and cheated the Abolitionists began attacking those who supported slavery. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott a slave was taken by his owner from Missouri to Wisconsin and back to Missouri. By living in a free state he was therefore a free man. After years of arguments this case was ruled against Dred Scott. The Supreme Court ruled that Scott lacked any legal standing to actually sue in a federal court. -
Dred Scott Cont'd
This affected the Aboltionist movement by providing some sort of leverage.This lead them to claim that the Supreme Court had undermined the States rights and also that since most of the Supreme Court were Southern that the slave states had an influence on national government. -
North v. South
The North had numerous advantages over the South, Britian needed wheat and corn more than cotton as they had just purchased a large supply. North had more factories, greater food production, and better railroad system. While the South had better Generals and motivated soldiers. The motivation of the southern soldiers and the better generals shined at the Battle of Bullrun, even though the South was losing they managed to rally and win. Both sides advantages and weaknesses ensured a bloody war. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Abraham Lincoln declared all slaves free in the states that had seceded and were rebelling against the Union at the time. It basically removed the fugitive slave law, fleeing slaves no longer had to return to their master. Although limited slaves were freed as the Union army progressed deeper into the south. As soldiers seized and captured plantations they released the slaves and actually allowed them to join the Union Army to fight and help contribute to the war. -
13th Amendment
This amendment outlaws involuntary servitude and slavery, except as a punishment for a crime. -
14th Amendment
It provides a definition of citizenship, overruling the Supreme Courts Dred Scott decision. It prohibits both the state and local governments from depriving anyone of life, liberty, or property without certain steps being taken to ensure fairness. It also gave everyone the right to equal protection under the law. -
15th Amendment
It bans the U.S. government of denying anyone the right to vote based on prior conditions of servitude, race, and/or color. -
13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments
These amendments changed America by giving former slaves, now free men, citizenship and that they could never be denied that citizenship and that they would no longer be considered property but humans. It was the first step towards equality in the states and it opened up peoples' minds if ever so slightly to seeing African-Americans as equals. -
Reconstruction
Lincoln and Johnson favored a moderate position. While the Radical Republicans favored a more extreme and radical approach. The moderate position was designed to bring the South back to normal as soon as possible. Although Johnson's plan was different than Lincoln's in only one way, to remove high-ranking confederates and wealthy plantation owners from taking the oath that would allow them to vote. Radicals disliked Johnson's plan so they teamed up with less extreme Republicans. -
Reconstruction Cont'd
Congress drafted the 14th Amendment, after taking control of congress they passed the reconstruction act. Which broke up former Confederate states into 5 military districts and then required them to give African males the vote and to ratify the 14th amendment in order to allow the Confederate states to re-enter the Union. -
Reconstruction Final
The plan that was eventually put into place was the Congress's plan. They managed to ratify two amendments and get Southern states to also agree to these ratifiied amendments. Congress was by far the most successful of the three plans.
