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The Missouri Compromise
Missouri became a slave state and so the Senate would remain equal, Maine became a free state. A line was also created to decide which future states would be free or slave states at 36º 30' latitude line. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
This was an act that required slaves to be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. People who assisted runaway slaves could be fined or jailed. In court cases, judges received more money for returning slaves to the South than for letting them go free, making it difficult for a person to escape slavery. -
The Compromise of 1850
California was permitted to become a free state which made the South angry as the Senate wouldn't be equal. To counteract this, Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act that required slaves to be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote this novel to show the immorality of slavery and the injustice of the Fugitive Slave Act. The fictional character Uncle Tom was an enslaved man who ultimately is whipped to death by his owner when he refused to give up the location of two runaway slaves. Many people began to recognize the evils of slavery after reading it. -
The Kansas - Nebraska Act
The Kansas - Nebraska Act divided the Northwestern part of the Louisiana Territory into two parts: Kansas and Nebraska. The bill allowed the issue of slavery to be decided on by the citizens. This was controversial because the South wanted to send people there to make them slave territories and the North believed that because both territories were above the line of the Missouri Compromise, they should be free. -
The Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott, an African American slave, moved to a free state and back to a slave state with his owner. He believed that because he lived in a free territory, he should be a free man. The Supreme Court ultimately decided that as enslaved people are citizens they have no protection by the federal government, and Congress has no power to outlaw slavery in any territory, making the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown was an abolitionist who led a group of people (including African Americans) to Harpers Ferry, Virginia planning to raid a federal arsenal in hopes of encouraging other slaves to rebel and instilling fear in the South. The raid was mostly unsuccessful as 10 members of the group were killed and John Brown was captured and later sentenced to death. -
The Election of 1860
Leading up to the election that was coming in 1860, Abraham Lincoln, who opposed slavery, decided to challenge Stephen Douglas, who believed it was up to the people if slavery should be illegal, for Douglas' position in the Senate. Stephen Douglas won this battle by a slim margin, however the two would meet again in the presidential election with Lincoln beating Doulas and becoming the 16th U.S. president. -
South Carolina Secedes
South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union as they believed they no longer had a say in the government with the election of Abraham Lincoln. This led 6 other states to secede and they then formed a new nation, the Confederate States of America