Decade of Crisis(1850-1861)

By Kimmie

  • Uncle Tom's Cabin

    This was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book was an abolitionist novel about slavery and everything a slave would go through, told through the character Tom's experience. Which showed the bad side of slavery and slave owners said that the book was an exaggeration of what really happens.

  • Republican Party

    This was the party that was formed to replace the Whig party because the people didn't like the Whig Party. This party was supported by the North.

  • Kansas-Nebraska Act

    This was passed by Congress that allowed the Kansas and Nebraska Territories to decide whether or not they want to be non-slavery or pro-slavery, basically allowed poplar sovereignty.. This act ended up acting as a repeal to the Missouri Compromise which didn't allow slavery north of the 36-30 latitude.

  • Bloody Kansas

    This was after the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed and where many people from the North and South came into Kansas wanting to claim the land as a slave or free territory. But that didn't work out because violence broke out between the two for control over the territory.

  • Election of 1856

    This was an election between James Buchanan(Democrat) and John C. Fremont(Republican) and in this election was very bitter because the Democratic party was saying bad things about the Fremont. The winner of the election was Buchanan with 174 electoral college votes and Fremont with 114.

  • Dred Scott

    Dred Scott was born into slavery and later moved with his owner to Alabama, which was a free state. Then after his owner died and was left with his owner's wife, he sued her because he was still a slave in a free state, which passed and let him be free. Then the supreme court got involved, Sanford v Scott, and declared that he wasn't free and that he could sue in a court.

  • Brooks-Sumner Incident

    This was where Senator Charles Sumner gave a 2-day speech on what happened in Kansas, and along with that he also denounced other Southern Senators, including Andrew Butler of SC. Then days later Senator Butler's nephew, Congressman Preston Brooks, came in and attacked Sumner and beat him with his cane, which left Sumner severely hurt.

  • LeCompton Constitution

    This was a Constitution that was drawn up to make Kansas a slave state. This constitution was rejected and Kansas was brought into the Union as a free state on Jan. 29, 1861.

  • House Divided Speech

    This was a speech where Lincoln was saying that the division in the states and Congress isn't good and that they need to either all be pro-slavery or non-slavery, not half and half, because of the issues that are going on due to that plan in the beginning.
  • Period: to

    Lincoln-Douglas Debates

    This was a series of 7 debates by Abraham Lincoln and Stephan Douglas. The issues that were brought up were slavery versus free labor, popular sovereignty, and the legal and political status of black Americans. In the end Lincoln trapped Douglas with this statement:Could the residents of a territory "in any lawful way" exclude slavery prior to statehood? But Douglas was still able to win reelection, but his statement antagonized the Northern and Southerners alike.

  • Harper's Ferry Raid

    This was a raid led by John Brown. This raid was against a federal armory, which was considered treason, in Harper's Ferry. This was an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and to end the institution of slavery.

  • John Brown

    On this date of the 2nd of December, 1859, John Brown was hung in accusation of treason for sending a raid to a federal armory, murder for the killing of many that were pro-slavery, and insurrection.

  • Election of 1860

    This was a very divided election in where there were four candidates, Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell. With those four the election in the North was between Lincoln and Douglas, then the election in the South was between Breckinridge and Bell. In the end, Lincoln won with 39.9 percent in popular votes and in the electoral college there were 180 votes.

  • Secession

    South Carolina secedes from the Union, because they thought that Republican administrations were going to attempt to undermine slavery by appointing lots of people against slavery into different positions. This leads to other states leaving the Union: Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.

  • Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address

    This speech was given by Abraham Lincoln as he was sworn into the presidency as the 16th President. In his address he explained many things regarding the slavery issue and how he won't change what the states are regarding if they are free or slave states, but he is going to try and keep peace with the two. He also stated clearly that no state can secede from the Union.