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Eli Whitney's Invention of the Cotton Gin
Eli Whitney and his slave invented the cotton gin in 1793 with the goal of making slavery less popular because one slave could accomplish more with a cotton gin than many slaves could without. However, there were adverse and detrimental consequences - slavery increased because it was seen as more profitable with a cotton gin. Slave owners thought they could produce more faster with cotton gins and many slaves and thus the slavery industry expanded and thrived off an invention meant for good. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise set in place to address the growing issue of slavery (slave states vs free states) within the nation. Under the Missouri compromise, Maine would be admitted as a free state and Missouri would be a slave state. Additionally, everything north of the 36'30' line would be a free state, and everything south of the 36'30' line would be a slave state. Later on, the Kansas-Nebraska Act attempted to raise the 36'30' line to Kansas' northern border. -
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Mexican War
The Mexican War was a war mostly over territory and border disputes. The US wanted the Mexican territory to end at the Rio Grande river, and Mexico wanted more. Mexico was also upset by the annexation of Texas. Within the country, people had different opinions over whether or not the war was necessary. The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ended the war in 1848 and the US paid Mexico $15 million in exchange for NM, CA, and Texas north of the Rio Grande. The treaty was practically forced upon Mexico. -
Popular Sovereignty
Popular Sovereignty gave the states the right to vote on whether or not they are free or slave states. However, Popular Sovereignty brought about problems with the Fugitive Slave Act, Bleeding Kansas, Border Ruffians, increased sectionalism between the North and South, & more.These issues show the disputes over Popular Sov. Some argued the federal government should be in charge of deciding if states were free or not, and others thought the state residence should be responsible for that decision. -
Fugitive Slave Act/Law
The Fugitive Slave Act was the decision that if slaves escaped to free states, bounty hunters could go into the free states and bring the slaves back. This was controversial because free states thought the FSA was an infringement on their rights as a free state. Supreme court case of Dred Scott vs Sanford (1857) brought up crucial arguments over the FSA. The descriptions of slaves on wanted posters were extremely general and vague, rewards were given for bringing back the right or wrong person. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote "Uncle Tom's Cabin" in 1852. The book was about slavery and sold over 300,000 copies in its first year, and over 2 million in the first decade. Her book gained support by Northern Abolitionists and educated every one who read it on the truth and problems about slavery. The South banned the book because they didn't like how it encouraged and empowered slaves. When Abraham Lincoln met Stowe, he supposedly said, "So you're the little lady who started this war." -
Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 is the election where Abraham Lincoln won the presidency. Lincoln was the least popular president in US history (39%). This unpopularity was a struggle because at this point, the nation was not united and threats of secession had already been made. The South did not like Lincoln, he had won his votes in the North and West. Lincoln had said it was illegal to secede from the country. Tensions were high, and in 1861, the civil war had begun, becoming the bloodiest battle.
