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Missouri Compromise
Missouri wanted to enter the union as a slave state, upsetting the balance of slave and free states in congress. As a compromise, Maine would be admitted as a free state, since they really wanted to get away from Massachussetts. The compromise also set a boundary for slavery in future states. This literally divided the country in the matter of slavery, but it did calm tensions for a while. -
Tariff of Abominations
This was the Southern name for the Tariff of 1828. Southerners had long felt that tariffs favored the North alone, but this one in particular angered the South. There were threats and then an instance of nullification, after which President Jackson organized militia to quell a militaristic uprising in South Carolina. Conflict is avoided with a letter from the president, but tensions remain between the North and South concerning economics. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner Rebellion Video In what is considered the only successful slave rebellion in US history, Nat Turner led an uprising of slaves that killed around sixty whites in the Southampton County region of Virginia. This spread fear throughout slaveholders and was followed by an intensifying of slave laws and cruelty towards blacks. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise was an omnibus bill that included assuring that the new states of New Mexico and Utah could determine the legality of slavery within their borders by themselves, and that California would be admitted as a free state. It also outlawed the trading of slaves in the capital as well as defined borders of the new southern states and reinforced the Fugitive Slave Act. The Fugitive Slave Act was observed to be unjust and corrupt, angering Northern abolitionists, and popular sovereignty le -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, this book became immensely popular in the United States and around the world. The story focused on slaves and made their hardships relatable to anyone. It opened eyes in the North to the cruelty of the institution of slavery, which they didn’t know much about, since there was hardly any slavery in Northern states. Slave owners in the South claimed the book was an exaggeration, and it was even outlawed in some states. Allegedly President Lincoln himself attribute -
Kansas Nebraska Act
This act is known for leaving the question of slavery in Kansas up to popular sovereignty. This led people to move to the state in order to vote, planning to leave after it was decided. Bleeding Kansas followed suit, a civil war within the state, which showed that people were willing to fight over the issue. -
Panic of 1857
This was not only a recession in the American economy, but also worldwide. The main cause was the over expansion of the economy, but both the North and the South blamed each other for being greedy and for their pro-slavery agenda, respectively. This shows how tensions were growing between the regions in terms of economics as well.
