-
Northwest Ordinence (P)
Economic and Social; chartered a government in the northwest territory. This created a method of admitting new states into the Union from territory and listed a bill of rights that would be applied in these new territories. -
Missouri Compromise (P)
Political and Social; This was created to have balance between slave and free states. Maine was created to offset the annexation of Missouri so there was an equal number of slave and free states. This defined the border of Missouri as the line between slave and free states and created potential imbalance of slave and free states in the future. -
Nat Turner Rebellion (I)
Political and Social; Nat Turner was slave who led a rebellion of enslaved people in 1831. This set off a massacre that killed 200 black people. It set off a wave of oppression prohibiting rights such as education or assembly. There was also stiffer pro slavery convictions that lasted through the Civil War. -
Gag Rule (I)
Political; Forbids the house from considering a particular topic. The most famous example is a set in the House concerning slavery. -
Amistad Case (I)
Political; A ship came across the coast of Long Island, NY. On this ship, were African Americans who had been captured and sold into slavery illegally. They revolted at sea and won control of the ship. The US authorities took control of the ship, imprisoned the people on the ship. -
Annexation of Texas (I)
Political; The US originally renounced its claim to Texas in 1819. In 1824, Mexico passed a law allowing people to move to this land for cheap land and a four year exemption from taxes. In 1830, the settlers living in Texas declared independence. Eventually gaining independence, they applied for statehood. There was fear of a new slave territory so it didn't become a state for until 1845. -
Mexican War (I)
Political and Economic; Mexican-American relations dissolved when Texas became a state and there was a dispute of where the Texas and Mexican border is. The US thought it was the Rio Grande River which Mexico thought it was the Nueces River. After failed diplomacy, Congress declared war on Mexico in 1846. The US eventually won the war, acquiring New Mexico and California. -
Wilmot Proviso (I)
Political; Amendment to the appropriation bill that allowed for 2 million for the purchase of Mexico. This prohibited slavery in territory acquired form Mexico. This was debated and vetoed for years because southerners claimed the right to move property(slaves)into new territory. -
California Gold Rush (I)
Economic and Social; Traces of gold were found in the Sierra Nevada mountains, so people came from all over to try and become rich. They became known as 49ers. This created a labor shortage in California which created opportunities for Chinese immigrants. There were new urban and agricultural populations and very diverse populations in California. This put more pressure on the government to resolve the status of slavery in California. -
Compromise of 1850 (I)
Political; This is a compromise proposed by Henry Clay which would admit California as a free state, form territorial governments in lands acquired from Mexico, no restriction on slavery, would abolish slave trade in D.C., and would create a new fugitive slave law. This compromise was debated for several months before being defeated. -
Fugitive Slave Act (I)
Political and Social; Apart of the Compromise of 1850. This required slaves to be returned to their owners if they escaped to the north. Declared the federal government was responsible for finding and returning escaped slaves. The law was passed because of resistance to the first slave act in 1793, but was unsuccessful due to resistance from people. People were refused to return slaves, some states even passed laws which made the act unenforceable. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin (I)
Social and Political; Abolitionist book that received wide spread popularity. Showed the experience of slavery. It was also brought to the stage. This was such a success because it was one of the first novels to accurately depict slavery and the suffering brought by it. -
Kansas Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas (I)
Political and Social; Senator Douglas wanted the end of a new transcontinental railroad to be in Chicago. He made a bill that would organize Nebraska territory, and invite more settlers to live there. This would address the fact that the railroad would go through Indian territory. This bill ensured slavery in that territory would be determined by popular sovereignty. This repealed the Missouri Compromise. With more settlers, they had anti-slavery legislation and violence broke out in Kansas. -
Ostend Manifesto (I)
Political; During unsuccessful attempts to buy Cuba, a group of envoys recommended to take Cuba by force, the Ostend Manifesto. This was leaked to the public and antislavery northerners were upset because they didn't want another slave state. The southerners opposed the new territory if it wasn't slave territory. -
Dred Scott Decision (I)
Political and Social; Dred Scott was a slave who had been taken into free states. When his master died, he sued the widow for his freedom and initially won. However, this decision was appealed and it was finally decided that as a slave, Scott couldn't sue because he was property. And as property, Congress didn't have the right to take him from his owner. -
John Brown and Raid on Harper's Ferry (I)
Political and Social; John Brown attacked and seized control of the US arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Virginia. He hoped to start a slave uprising but was however unsuccessful. Brown and his followers was defeated by local militias and US troops that were under the control of Robert E. Lee and were convicted of treason. -
Crittenden Compromise (I)
Political; This was legislation that's purpose was the stop states from leaving the union. It proposed 6 amendments and 4 resolutions to please the southerners. It would have guaranteed slavery in southern states, and reestablished the line drawn in the Missouri Compromise. It was rejected by the north and failed to stop the civil war.
