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Missouri Compromise
Henry Clay proposed a compromise to Congress, saying that Missouri should enter the Union as a slave state and Maine enter as a free state. Not only that, but he proposes to draw a line at the 36, 30 mark and slavery allowed south of line, prohibited north of the line. -
Compromise of 1850
This compromise was drafted by Henry Clay that reduced sectional conflict. The compromise included California entering the Union as a free state and the Utah and New Mexico territories being open to slavery for southern settlers. Also, the Fugitive Slave Law became enforced in the North. -
Fugitive Slave Act
An act passed with the Compromise of 1850, this act stated that all blacks could be arrested and sent back to a plantation in the South if caught by owners. This included free blacks and runaway slaves. Most Northerners did not like enforcing this law and the South did not like how the North enforced it. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a book published by Harriet Beecher Stowe and was designed to show the Northerners the horrors of slavery. Stowe was inspired to write this book after she witnessed a black slave named Uncle Tom get whipped to death by his white owner. Her book got the North angry about the issue of slavery and gave them a spirit of nationalism. However, in the South it was banned and ridiculed. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was an act proposed by Stephen Douglas to help please the South over the issue of slavery. This act allowed Kansas and Nebraska to enter the Union as states and Douglas let Kansas and Nebraska decided if they would have slavery or not. This caused many problems, including violence in Kansas and it also got rid of the Missouri Compromise. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision was a verdict given by the Supreme Court of the U.S. and is arguably the worst decision the Supreme Court ever made. The case was that a man named John Sanford took his slave, Dred Scott into Wisconsin, a free state. Scott believed now that he had traveled to a free state, he was a free man. He sued John Sanford and eventually the case reached the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Sanford and judge Roger B. Taney said that Scott had no right to sue Sanfor -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas debates were debates that considered the positions they had regarding slavery were made clear. Lincoln felt slavery was a moral issue because he, just like other Northerners, believed slavery was wrong. Douglas felt slavery had been solved through the Dred Scott decision. Lincoln lost the debates, but his position would later help him to become president. -
Incident at Harper's Ferry
The Incident at Harper’s Ferry involved John Brown, an extreme abolitionist, and his 5 sons attacking the South’s munition supply. They all died in the tragedy, but it left a lasting effect on the North and South. For the North, they considered Brown as a hero for attacking the arsenal, but for the South, they feared slave rebellions would start and spread throughout the South. -
Election of 1860
The Election of 1860 brought forth anger to the South and praise from the North. In the election, Lincoln won the electoral college and became president. He ran against Breckinridge, Bell, and Douglas and won the popular vote as well. Northerners were happy because they wanted Lincoln to abolish slavery. However, the South was not happy because they lost most of the political power they had and they feared Lincoln would abolish slavery. -
Southern States Form Confederacy
The Southern States decided they did not want to be ruled by a government that abolished slavery, so they formed the Confederate States of America. South Carolina was the first state to secede from the Union and 6 others followed. After Lincoln became President, South Carolina fired on Fort Sumter, a Union fort. They fired on it for 30 hours before the soldiers inside surrendered. This event inspired the North to not negotiate anymore, but to fight.
