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The Missouri Compromise
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Dred Scott Case
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The Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a proposal from Representative David Wilmot of Pennyslvania that suggested that Congress ban slavery in all land that might become part of the US as a result of the Mexican-American War. This proposition was passed in the House of Representatives but was denied in the Senate. Even though this failed, this event concerned the South very greatly... -
The Wilmot Proviso (Continued)
...This short circumstance impacted history because it recommenced arguments over slavery in places which had lasting effects on the larger American political landscape and it maintained awareness of anti-slavery positions with northerners. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
Included in the Compromise of 1850 that was suggested by Henry Clay and Stephen Douglas who were following increased pressure from Southern Politicians, the Fugitive Slave Act was an act that necessitated that slaves be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. This event played an essential role in history because it resulted in many free African Americans being illegally confined and sold into slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850, suggested by Whig Senator Henry Clay and Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas, was made up of five bills that attempted to sort out the arguments over slavery in new territories that joined the United States in the Mexican-American War. This compromise admitted California as a free state, let Utah and New Mexico decide whether they wanted to be permit slavery (popular sovereignty), ... -
Compromise of 1850 (Continued)
...and defined new boundaries for the state of Texas following the Mexican-American War. The most controversial was the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which required citizens to help seize runaway slaves and denied slaves the right to trial by jury. This compromise was an important event in history because it strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act, outlawed slave trade (but not slavery in the capital), and allowed the inclusion of some free states and some slave states. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin (Continued)
...before he can fulfill his daughter's wish. Later on, Tom is whipped to death by his new slave owner for not revealing what happened to certain escaped slaves. This novel was vital to history because it presents the injustices of slavery during a time where there was tension over whether slavery should be abolished or not. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin is a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that was originally published in serialized form in the United States in 1851-1852, and was finally published in book form in 1852. The story is about an enslaved person who saves a little girl named Eva while being transferred to an auction in New Orleans and becomes close with her. Eva becomes very ill, and on her deathbed she asks her father, a slave owner, to free all his slaves. He attempts to do so but is killed... -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was a controversial bill that was proposed by Senator Stephen Douglas. This bill was suggested to organize the Territory of Nebraska, which would soon become Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, and the Dakotas. This act was a paramount even in history because it escalated the chance that slavery could be extended into areas where it had once been banned, which intensified the discourse over slavery.