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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was passed in 1820 as a result of the question as to whether or not Missouri should be a slave state. This compromise sparked bitter political debate in Congress as Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine was admitted as a free state to keep the balance in the Senate. Thomas Jefferson predicted this would be the end of the Union, and overall this compromise was one of the first causes of the Civil War as it began to divide the country over the issue of slavery. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner was a slave living in the South and started a rebellion with many other slave in August, 1831. He and about 70 other slaves decided to revolt and kill 60 white people. This was the bloodiest rebellion in the South to date and forced Southern lawmakers to repeal civil rights given to black slaves. This rebellion ended with the hanging of Nat Turner and his fellow slaves, and the North was very opposed to this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dhiQ-d9JMs -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 allowed California into the Union as a slave state along with other territories, but the Southerners also passed a federally funded Fugitive Slave Act in this compromise. While this compromise may have held off some hostilities between the North and the South, it did not address major problems. The new Fugitive Slave Act went against everything the Northerners believed, the Southerners did not want new free states, and this compromise continued to divide the country. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote this book as a fictional representation of slave life. The book was second best seller in the country, and it really opened the eyes of the Northerners. On the other hand, Southerners despised it and considered it slander, banning it in some states. For those who were still on the fence about slavery, this book really helped them understand what slavery was all about.
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Uncle-Toms-Cabin -
Kansas-Nebraska Act/Bleeding Kansas
This act barely passed in Congress with Congressmen brandishing weapons, but it allowed slavery via popular vote in both Kansas and Nebraska, going against the Missouri Compromise. Many pro and anti-slavery people rushed to the new state to outvote the other side. This became known as "Bleeding Kansas" and there were skirmishes here and there for about 5 years. The bloodshed led to the loss of 56 lives, and this event shook the nation.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYP854GAPAU] -
John Brown's Raid
In October of 1859, John Brown organized a group of fellow whites and freed blacks to attack and seize the Virginia arsenal. Known as Harper's Ferry, it was poorly guarded and was able to be captured easily. The goal was to distribute these weapons to slaves in the South to help them rebel, but the group was captured and surrendered to Col. Lee. John Brown was hanged and became a martyr for the abolitionists.
[https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-browns-raid-on-harpers-ferry] -
Election of Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln won the election by a decent margin, despite not being included on some ballots in the South. His campaign and party took a "non-extension of slavery" stance, and this struck fear in Southerners. Ultimately, he wanted to abolish slavery, and the South predicted this. The election of Abraham Lincoln was the final cause of the secession and following Civil War in the United States.
[https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/abraham-lincoln-elected-president]
