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John Brown
John Brown became active in anti-slavery views and support. He also was apart of the conflict occurring in Kansas as well as associated with the Pottawatomie Massacre. The massacre was caused by Brown and his men/followers where they had killed 5 pro slavery men in Kansas. He also attempted a raid in Harpers Ferry and was sentenced with treason and death. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
A novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that depicts the horrors and the violent nature of slavery. It tells about a slave named Uncle Tom who is killed by the his slave owner, Simon Legree. This book was popular and widely sold across the country and England. It made the abolitionist and the Northerners have more hatred for slavery, while it also angered the Southerners because the book was not entirely true with slavery. -
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Bloody Kansas
A conflict at the border of Kansas and Missouri that was between the pro slavery supporters and anti slavery advocates, on the question of Kansas should either be a slave or free state. In 1861, Kansas became a free state, which made the divide grow with the slavery question. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Act passed by Congress that replaced the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and created the territories of Nebraska and Kansas. It allowed settlers the use of popular sovereignty in choosing whether to allow slavery in these new territories, which led to Kansas being admitted as a slave state. Northerners and abolitionists opposed Kansas' admittance as a slave state because it threw off the balance of free/slave states, so they protested against pro-slavery settlers. This raised tension between N. & S. -
Republican Party
The party was organized in 1854 by antislavery Whigs, Democrats, and Free Soilers in response to the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act; nominated John C. Fremont for president in 1856 and Abraham Lincoln in 1860. It increased the divide because the Southerners were pro slavery and supported the Democratic Party while in the North, the Republican Party gained popularity. -
Brooks-Sumner Incident
Charles Sumner was beaten nearly to death by Preston Brooks with a cane. This occured due to the fact that Sumner gave a speech called "The Crime Against Kansas", which agitated the Southern's, especially Brooks. This angered the North and the South praised what Brooks did, which added to the divide between the two sections. -
Election of 1856
The election was between the Democrats (Buchanan), Know Nothings (Fillmore), and Republicans (Fremont), and the Democratic party won the election since Buchanan supported popular sovereignty. It increased the divide between the North and South, because Southerners and democrats did not want to have a Republican president, so thoughts of succession came around if the Republican party won. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott was a slave who went to the Supreme Court, under the case Dred Scott v. Sandford. This court case decided that Dred Scott was not considered a citizen, even though he was in a free state, so it declared that African Americans both free and slave were not citizen and did not have a right to sue in federal court. It also declared that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. This court case increased the divide between the North and South, North hated it while the South did not. -
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Le-Compton Constitution
It was a constitution made by pro slavery forces in which they stated they wanted to have Kansas entered the Union as a slave state, but it was rejected by Congress. It did not answer the slavery question and it caused the Democratic party to be divided. -
House Divided Speech
A speech given by Lincoln at the Illinois Republican Convention where he declares and warns the nation by saying it is divided greatly with the slavery question which will bring an end to the Union. This speech affected the popularity of lincoln and the election of 1860, and told the future of the nation in a way. -
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Lincoln-Douglas Debates
It was a series of 7 debates that went over popular sovereignty, the LeCompton Constitution, and the Dred Scott decision. Douglas won these debates, but it helped Lincoln win the election in 1860. -
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Harper's Ferry
A raid on a armory in Harpers Ferry that was caused and started by John Brown in a attempt to free the slaves and start a armed slave rebellion. This ended in a failure due to being surrounded by the army and afterwards Brown was sentenced to death because of treason. It increased the tensions between the sections and risks in the 1860 election. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was between Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, John Bell and John C. Breckinridge, where Lincoln won by electoral vote. This election caused the Southern states to succeed from the Union since the Republican party won. -
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Secession
Secession occurred in 1860-1861 where 11 states succeeded from the Union soon after the Republican party won the election and Lincoln became president. First states to secede was SC, MS, LA, AL, FL, GA, and TX. -
Lincoln's 1st Inaugural Address
An address given by Lincoln after he won the election and becoming president, gave this towards appealing to the Southern states, and wanted them to not succeed from the Union by putting them at ease. Even though he gave this address, 11 southern states still succeeded from the Union.