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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was and effort by congress to keep the number of free states and slave states even. When Missouri wanted to be admitted into the country as a slave state they made a compromise that if Missouri was to be admitted as a slave state Maine would be admitted as a free state. The Missouri Compromise really established the divide between free and slave states with the 36 30 parallel -
Nat Turners Rebellion
Nat Turner who was a slave caused a large uprising through several plantations in southern Virginia. Turner and other slaves killed around 60 white people. After two days of the rebellion they were stopped and fifty-five slaves including Turner were tried, and executed, also nearly 200 others were lynched at mobs. Virginia lawmakers reacted harshly to what happened and revoked whatever righted slaves and free black had including education. -
Uncle Toms Cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe’s fictional book acted as an aid in opening up northerners eyes to what slave life was really like, but southerners believed that it was slanderous. The book soon became the second best selling book of the 19th century, and its popularity shined light on the horror of slavery and widened the divide of the north and the south. -
Kansas- Nebraska Act
This allowed the two territories to decide to be free or have slavery based on popular vote. Pro and anti- slavery agitators rushed to Kansas hoping to change the votes based on population. The two factors struggled for five years with outbursts of violence, leaving the country shocked. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a Virginia slave who tried to sue for his freedom in court. The case eventually rose to the level of Supreme Court, where they found that as a slave he did not have rights because he was owned as a piece of property. The decision made in this case made it much harder for government authority to prevent fighting. -
John Brown’s raid
Brown, white allies, and free blacks banded together and planned to raid an arsenal in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. They planned to give the weapons to slaves in order to increase the number in slave rebellions. This caused southerners to militizes themselves in case of another raid. -
Abrahams Election
Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election dividing the democratic party greatly. His election was also the impetus for the outbreak of the Civil War.