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Civil War Timeline
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Missouri Compromise
Congress was debating whether to admit Missouri as a free or slave state so they came up with a compromise that they would admit Missouri as a slave state but at the same time admit Maine as a free state to balance the power in Congress. -
Tariff of Abominations
A tariff is a bill that puts a tax on imported goods. The tariff of abominations was a tariff that was enacted so that there would be more buying of U.S. goods insted of imported goods. This helped the North whos economy is based on manufacturing and hurted the south who relied on exporting goods. (liked by the north and hated by the south) -
Wilmot Proviso
This proviso was first introduced by David Wilmot who had suggested that slavery be banned in all states gained by the Mexican-American War -
Differing Economies of the North and South
The economic differences of the north and the south would have to be that the north had relied on making goods in their many factories and businesses. The south however relied on agriculture which is the growing of crops and making things of those crops. -
Admission of California
California was accepted to the Union as the 16th free state. -
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The compromise of 1850
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The Citizens Rights
The decision on whether Utah and New Mexico would be accepted as a free or slave state became a problem. The solution was to let the citizens chose. -
Texas Borders
Texas had tried to claim rights to land in New Mexico, but there was a disagreement so Congress decided to place the boundary lines and in compensation give Texas $10 million dollars. -
The End to Slave Trade
In the compromise they had enacted the banning of slave trade but they had not banned the right of slaveholding -
Fugitive Slave Act
It stated that all runaway slaves were, upon capture, to be returned to their masters. This was also hated by many because any person found guilty of helping an escaped slave would be fined $1000 -
The Fugitive Slave Act
The fugitive slave act stated that all runaway slaves were, upon capture, to be returned to their masters. This resulted in harsh penalties for people that aided runaway slaves and allowed the arrest of escaped slaves in states were slavery was illegal. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe and it was written about the life of an escaped slave. This later became somthing that pushed people against slavery by showing an over exaggerated look into the horrors of slavery. -
The Free-Soil Party
The Free Soil Party was a short-lived political party in the United States active in the 1848 and 1852 presidential elections, and in some state elections. It was a third party and a single-issue party that was largely against slavery. The party consisted of former anti-slavery members of the Whig Party and Democratic Party. It was mainly opposing the expansion of slavery into the western territories. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The deaths of Clay and Webster led to new leadership in Congress.Stephon Douglas, and Illinois senator, gained power and influence. A proposed railroad connecting C.A. to the rest of the nation was a dividing issue because of the need of settled land. Dougals proposed organizing the Kansas and Nebraska territories, where the issue of slavery would be settled by popular sovereignty. -
The Know Nothing Party
The Know Nothing was a movement by American politians. It was thought by many that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often thought to be against republican values. Mainly active from 1854 to 1856. -
Sack of Lawrence
The sacking of Lawrence was done by pro-slavery southerners that attacked the "center of anti-slavery activity" town of Lawrence and burned it to the ground -
Brooks/Sumner Senate Caning
Violance over Kansas spread to Congress. Sumner delivered an angry two-day speech, directing vicious remarks at Andrew Butler of S.C, who played a key role in the passing of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Two days later Rep. Preston Brooks attacked Sumner, beating him with a heavy walking stick until Sumner died. -
Pottawatomie Massacre
John Brown was a commited abolitionist whoe went to Kansas, settling in a free-soil town.He appointed himself captain of a local antislavery militia. Outraged by what happened at Lawrence. Brown sought bloody revenge. He and a small group of followers dragged 5 pro-slavery settlers out of their homes and killed them. -
The Election of 1856
President Franklin Pierce tried for re-election but was beat by Buchanan. This was due to the Kansas–Nebraska Act, which had divided the Democrats into Northern Democrats and Southern Democrats. -
The Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision was a supreme court case that said that slave were not protected by the constitution as they were not U.S. citizens. (noted as one of the worst decision ever made by the supreme court) -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
(Happened Aug. 21- Oct. 15) The Lincoln–Douglas Debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln (Rep.) and Senator Stephen Douglas (Dem.) At the time, U.S. senators were elected by state legislatures so Lincoln and Douglas were trying to win control for their parties for the Illinois legislature. The main issue discused in all 7 debates was slavery. -
Freeport Doctrine
The Freeport Doctrine was thought up by Douglas at the second of the Lincoln-Douglas debates. Lincoln tried to force Douglas to choose between popular sovereignty made by the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in the case of Dred Scott v. Sandford, which said that slavery could not legally be banned from U.S. territories. Despite the court's ruling, slavery could be prevented from any territory by the refusal of the people living in that territory -
Harpers Ferry Incident
Abolitionist John Brown and several followers seized the United States Armory at Harpers Ferry. The actions of Brown's men brought national concern and attention to slavery. -
The Underground Railroad
The underground railroad were secret routes and safe houses used by slaves to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists, people who thought slavery was wrong. -
South Carolina Secession
The law of state's rights, the abilty to secede, and the admitting of slavery had been issues of debate in the U.S. before the election of Lincoln brought on the secession of the Southern states. The South had forced political compromises by threatening to destroy the union, but by 1860 many politicians had come to see the threat as a bluff and were sick of compromising about slavery.Meeting in Charleston that convention passed unanimously the first ordinance of secession, making S.C. a country -
Formation of the Confed. States of America
Representatives from the seven seceded states met in Montgomery, Alabama to found the Confederate States of America. They hoped for a peaceful separation from the U.S. They did not consider their secession to have been illegal, and they wanted a constitution without changes. The new const. was very similar to the U.S. Constitution. The big changes included, A single-term executive with a 6-year term, a presidential item veto, a prohibition of protective tariffs, and a role for cabinet officials. -
Fort Sumter
On April 12, Confederate soldiers began to fire their cannons and they kept up the bombing for 34 straight hours. Federal troops returned fire but were in vain. On April 13, the fort was surrendered and evacuated.