Decade of Crisis

  • Compromise of 1850

    Five laws based on clay's resolutions
    sign. the senate debate over clay's resolution was one of the greatest in its history and it marked the end of an era of political leadership in congress
  • Underground Railroad

    An informal, constantly changing network of escape routes closer to free territory for slaves
    sign. made harriet tubman a well known household name and freed many slaves successfully
  • Fugitive slave act

    Made it a federal crime to assist runaway slaves
    sign. made northerners angry and began rescuing slaves and made southern leaders talk of seceding from the union
  • Uncle tom's cabin

    A book by harriet beecher stowe that talks about the cruelty of slavery to africans
    sign. it changed the way many americans viewed slavery and also started the war
  • Republican Party

    A new party called by the rally leaders, ex whigs, and ex free-soilers
    sign. became a major political force in the u,s.
  • Kansas-Nebraska act

    Repealed the missouri compromise of 1820, allowing popular sovereignty and the possibility of slavery
    sign. caused a great number of northern democrats to quit the part and the whig party to have a serious division
  • Sack of lawrence

    Pro-slavery group arrived in lawrence ready to arrest anti-slavery groups and destroyed much of the town
    sign pro-slavery sheriff and about 800 men rode into lawrence to arrest them they destroyed the offices two anti-slavery newspapers burned the hotel and free-soil governor house
  • The known-nothing party

    A secret fraternal organization group
    sign. reorganized themselves into a political party
  • Pottawatomie massacre

    A small group of abolonist led by John Brown murdered five pro-slavery men along the pottawatomie creek
    sign. one of the most famous events leading up to the american civil war
  • Dred Scott decision

    Dred scott, a slave, had sued for his freedom
    sign. increased tension between the north and south
  • Lincoln-douglas debate

    A series of seven debates between abraham lincoln and stephen douglas
    sign. even though lincoln lost, the debate launched him into national prominence which led to his election as president
  • Freeport Doctrine

    Douglas's reply to slavery in the second debate
    sign. most critical of the seven, caused douglas to lose support of southern democrats
  • Harpers ferry incident

    John browns raid on the south confederacy
    sign. the south feared other abolitionist were involved and made the confederate army better prepared for war
  • South carolina secession

    South carolina secedes from the union
    sign. leds to one of the bloodiest wars in the nation's history