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Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner was a former slave that lead a slave uprising in southern Virginia. His rebellion lead to violence between whites and slaves, and also lead to the deaths of 60 white citizens. All the 56 of the perpetrators were executed for their crimes. Instead of helping slaves win more freedom, the rebellion did the opposite. Lawmakers took back the few right slaves and free blacks had at the time, and education and the right to assemble were prohibited. -
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Events Leading up to the Civil War
Polices, Compromises and Rebellions that affected slavery in the south -
The Underground Railroad
The Underground became very prominent before and during the civil war. The underground railroad was a way out for slaves in the south to escape into the free states and sometimes Canada with help form abolitionists. Harriet Tubman was a famous 'conductor' who took 19 trips to the south and saved 300 slaves. -
Prigg v. Pennsylvania
Prigg v. Pennsylvania was a trial testing the fugitive slave law. Edward Prigg went into Pennsylvania to retrieve the slave of his boss. Prigg was told he didn't have the proper means to take the slave out of the state, he then took matters into his own hands. When being tried in court he said the law was unconstitutional. The case went to supreme court, and they too found Pennsylvania's law contradicted the constitution. -
The Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a bill proposed by David Wilmot. His bill outlawed slavery in any territory the United States gained through war,which included the southwest and extended all the way to Californa. His bill failed but the debate around the bill brought forth the first serious discussions on secession. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was already mention within The Compromise of 1850. The Fugitive Slave Act was an act where non slaveholders, especially those in the north were to return runaway slaves to their owners. This act lead to controversy between the north and the south, -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of 5 bills introduced by Henry Clay. The five bills admitted California as a free state,allowed popular sovereignty in Utah and New Mexico about the slavery, abolished the slave trade in Washington D.C, the federal assumption of Texas debts, and strengthening the Fugitive Slave Act. The five bills did stop outright hostilities between the North and South but also reinforced the disparity that divided the United States. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave from Virginia who tried to sue for his freedom in court. His case ended up going all the way to the Supreme Court. The Justices found that Scott being a slave was property and therefor had no legal rights or recognitions of a human being. Dred Scott's case threatened to cast away the political landscape that so far had prevented the civil war. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe's wrote Uncle Tom's cabin as an exploration into the life of a slave. Her book allowed the north to see the horror of slavery, while southerners claimed it was scandalous. It brought the issue of slavery to life, and also caused more division between north and south. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, which prohibited slavery above the latitude 36, 30. It also allowed Kansas and Nebraska to decide if their states should have slavery and allow the expansion of slavery. -
Abraham Lincoln's Election
Lincoln's election of 1860 was considered one of our nations most consequential elections. His election caused many problems, as wanted to stop the expansion of slavery into other U.S Territories. His stance on slavery ended up with eleven states seceding from the Union. Slavery began to get worse in the south as the confederacy began to prepare for war, and used slaves as labors for fortifications,amours, and nurses.
