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The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise that allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine to enter the Union as a free state. It also stated that any new state above the 36 30 parallel would be a free state and any below would be a slave state. The compromise laid the groundwork for the division between the northern and southern states on the issue of slavery. -
The Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a piece of legislation introduced at the end of the Mexican-American War. If passed it would have made slavery illegal in any new states gained from the war. However, after several attempts, it did not pass, but it started the conversation about secession within the southern states. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 admitted California into the Union as a free state and enforced the Fugitive Slave Act, forcing Northern states to send freed slaves back to their owners in the South. The compromise did nothing to regulate slavery in the states gained from the Mexican-American War. The compromise solved immediate hostilities but it drove the wedge deeper between the northern and southern states. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It chronicled the horrors of slavery. Many northerners felt as if their eyes had been opened and felt much more strongly about the abolitionist movement. Those that had not felt strongly about the issue before had gained a new found motivation to stop slavery. The book continued the put a wedge between the northern and southern states. -
Dred Scott vs Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave who attempted to sue for his freedom in court. The Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was a piece of property and therefore had no legal rights. The decision to make slaves a piece of property made the government's authority over the issue very unclear. -
Election of 1860
Republican Abraham Lincoln won the 1860 election for President of the United States. Many Southerners feared what Lincoln would do concerning the issue of slavery since the Republican party was anti-slavery. -
South Carolina's Secession
On December 20, 1860, South Carolina seceded from the Union. This served as the catalyst for the other southern states seceding as well and eventually led to the breakout of the civil war.
