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Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The treaty, signed on February 2, 1848, ended the war between U.S. and Mexico. With the end of the Mexican War and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, America was given large western territories. As these new territories were admitted as states how would it be decided if they were slave or free? Congress ended up passing the Compromise of 1850 which made California a free state and allowed the people of Utah and New Mexico to pick. The ability of a state to decide was called popular sovereignty. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The act, passed on September 18, 1850, was included as a part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern slave owners and Northern free men. This act forced a fine on any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave. The act is known as one of the most controversial parts of the Compromise of 1850 ultimately causing increased efforts against slavery by many abolitionists. This act also subsequently increased the Underground Railroad activity as slaves fled to Canada. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Published in 1852, Uncle Tom’s Cabin is an anti-slavery novel written by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was an abolitionist who wrote this book to show the evils of slavery. This book had a huge impact on the way that northerners viewed slavery. It helped further abolition and Abraham Lincoln recognized the book as one of the causes which led to the Civil War. President Lincoln even said to Stowe, “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this Great War?” -
Bleeding Kansas
Also known as the Border War, Bleeding Kansas was a bunch of violent political confrontations. In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed allowing the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves using popular sovereignty whether they wanted to be free or slave states. By 1856, Kansas had become a source of violence as state's fought over their future. The widely reported violent events were a small taste of the violence to come with the Civil War. -
Brooks v. Sumner
Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was an avid abolitionist and also a leader in the eye of the Republican Party. Pro-slavery Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Charles Sumner with a cane after Sumner had given a speech against the pro-slavery forces for the violence occurring in Kansas. One of the most publicized events of “Bleeding Kansas” was when some Border Ruffians ransacked Lawrence, Kansas on May 21, 1856. One day later, the violence took place on the floor of the U.S. Senate. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
The Dred Scott case of 1857, was a huge decision on the part United States Supreme Court. Dred Scott argued that he should be free because he had been held as a slave while living in a free state. However the Supreme Court said that even though he had been taken by his 'owner' into a free state, he was still a slave because he was considered property of his owner. This decision extended abolitionist movements even further as they increased their efforts to fight against slavery. -
Harpers Ferry
John Brown was a white radical abolitionist who had been involved in anti-slavery violence in Kansas. On October 16, 1859, he led a group of men to Harper’s Ferry, Virginia to raid the arsenal located there. His goal was to start a slave rebellion with the help of the captured weapons. Brown and his men were surrounded by troops and were eventually killed or captured. Brown was later tried and hanged for treason. This event was one that helped lead to open warfare in 1861. -
Lincoln's Election
With the election of Lincoln, South Carolina was the first of seven total states to secede from the Union. Even though Lincoln's views about slavery were considered moderate during the nomination and the election, some states had threatened to secede if he won. Lincoln made it part of his platform that slavery would not be extended to any new territories or states added to the union. Due to the states seceding and Lincoln’s platform plans for the future of slavery, the Civil War was inevitable.
