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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise resulted in the establishment of the 36 degree 30' parallel line; it settled the dispute over the slave territory boundaries for a short time. -
Wilmot's Proviso is Introduced in Legistlature
Wilmot's Proviso cut North and South ties by requesting that all new land from Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War be free of slaves and involuntary servitude. The Southern States were able to block the legistation and became convinced that if the North had its way, slavery would be abolished. -
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo is Signed
The Treaty ended the Mexican-American War, a dispute over land in the southwest. To the Northerners, both appeared to be a slave state attempt to gain land for the addition of slave territory. -
Compromise of 1850/ Fugitive Slave Act is Passed
A part of the Compromise of 1850, the Fugitive Slave Act horrified Northerners in the way that it encouraged Southern slave owners to pursue their runaway and fugitive slaves. -
Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" Sheds Real Light on Slavery
The publishing of Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" horrified the North and set the South ablaze. Any Southerners caught with the book were beaten and the physical copy burned. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Passed in early 1854, the act abolished the 36 30" line created by the Missouri Compromise. It also called for popular sovereignty inthe new territories/states as part of an attempt to hurry the completion of a transcontinential railroad. -
Formation of the Republican Party
Ripon, WI became the birthplace of the Republican Party in 1855. The Republican Party advocated and fought for the total restriction of slavery in all territories/states. The South saw it as a "declaration of war." -
Breakdown of the Two-Party System
The two parties signaled a final seperation of the North, who were generally Republican, and the South, generally Democratic. Such strong and distinct parties grew to represent their populations completely and often candidates had no running opponent. Candidates were able to become more and more radical in their platforms. -
"Bleeding Kansas"
The introduction of "popular soverignty" led to the debate over whether Kansas would be a slave or a free state. As a result, blood was shed and violence broke out between Pro-Slavery and Anti-Slavery forces that clashed in the region. Lawrence, the Pro-Slavery center was destroyed while the Anti-Slavery hub at Topeka survived. -
Senator Sumner is Beaten by Congressman Brooks
Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina beats Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner. Sumner had just made a speech attacking slavery. The South offered no remorse, and instead Southerners praised Brooks with gifts. -
Dred Scott case and Ableman vs. Booth
Both the Dred Scott case (1857) and Ableman vs Booth (1859) punctuated the nullification of the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. These "proved" to Northerners that the Southern slave owners would use the government to legalize slavery everywhere. -
Lincoln's Speech
At the 1858 Illinois election, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas are put to debate. In one of the most profound debates and speeches ever made, Lincoln makes the point that "a house divided against itself cannot stand." Douglas fought for popular soverignty -
Brown's Attempted Slave Revolt at Harper's Ferry
Northerner John Brown attempted to start a slave revolt in Harper's Ferry, Virginia, but failed miserably. The action confirmed Southerner's suspicions that the North would assist slaves in freedom/killing masters. -
1860 Presidential Election
In 1860 the presidential election resulted in Republican Abraham winning the position. The loss left the South with two choices, leave the union, or withstand the destruction of their known way of life (slavery). -
The Crittenden Compromise
The Crittenden Compromise was a last chance effort to make both sides content, but ulitmately it failed to gain enough support. The Compromise rested on the idea of returning back to ideas spelled out in the Missouri Compromise, more specifically, the 36 30 line. -
Attack of Fort Sumter
By the time Lincoln was sworn into office in April of 1861, nearly half the union had seceded from the country, The majority of federal holdings non-violently traded hands to the state governments. Fort Somter in Charleston did not go peacefully. Southern forces attacked and this opened the field for the fight to keep the South in the Union.
