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Missouri Compromise
Henry Clay proposed a compromise that allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state. This compromise was made in order to prevent the growth of sectionalism caused by the delicate balance of free and slave states in the Union. An amendment was also passed that stated for slavery to be excluded from the Louisiana Purchase territories north of latitude 36°30′. -
Mexican-American War Starts
US and Mexican troops fought against each other in a battle for land; Americans wanted to expand farther south into Texas and conquer more of Mexico's northern lands to gain more slave states and expand political power, while Mexico was fighting for what they believed to be their territory [Texas]. -
Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot, a Democratic member of the US House of Representatives, proposed to prohibit the expansion of slavery in the territories acquired by the US from Mexico at the conclusion of the Mexican War. This proposal passed through the House of Representatives, but it was ultimately defeated in the Senate -
Mexican-American War Ends
The war concluded with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and American victory; it called for Mexico's recognition of US sovereignty over Texas and for Mexico to cede 55% of its territory, the Mexican Cession [Arizona, California, New Mexico], in exchange for $15 million dollars in war compensation. -
Compromise of 1850
Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions in an attempt to avoid a crisis between the North and South. The compromise included the admission of California as a free state, the strengthening of the Fugitive Slave Law, the organization of the Territory of New Mexico and the Territory of Utah, and the abolition of Slave trade in DC. -
Fugitive Slave Law
This act was a part of the Compromise of 1850; it forced citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves. Most northerners opposed the Fugitive Slave Law because it gave the South too much power, and they believed that it should have allowed the slaves the right to jury trials. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Harriet B. Stowe was the author of Uncle Tom's Cabin; it was written as a reaction to the reinforced Fugitive Slave Law, which made the assisting of runaway slaves a crime in free states. This novel depicted all slave owners as cruel and evil; it caused people in the North to become much more opposed to slavery, and it helped make slavery less popular by putting faces on the slaves and on the owners. -
"Bleeding Kansas" Starts
"Bleeding Kansas" was a series of violent confrontations which resulted from the debate of if slavery would be legal in Kansas [Kansas-Nebraska Act]. Both abolitionists and slavery supporters flooded into Kansas and fought within its borders; this has been considered as one of the first battles of the Civil War. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act (Popular Sovereignty)
This bill mandated popular sovereignty which allowed the people in the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery in their borders; it had also repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820. The initial purpose of this act was to open up new farm areas and to make a Midwestern Transcontinental Railroad. -
Charles Sumner Attacked
Senator Charles Sumner was a radical Republican whose speech, "The Crime Against Kansas", verbally attacked the Democratic administration. Congressman Preston Brooks, angered by Sumner's personal charges against his uncle Senator Andrew Butler, went into the Senate's chamber and beat Sumner over the head with his cane; Sumner never fully recovered. -
Dred Scott v Sandford
In this court case, the Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, both free and slave, were not American citizens and were not able to sue in a federal court. The Supreme Court also ruled that Congress lacked the power to ban slavery in US territories; it was declared that all parts of the western territories were open to slavery -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
There was a total of seven debates between the Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln and the Democratic Party candidate. Slavery had become a major political issue - Douglas established himself as a supporter of popular sovereignty on the subject of slavery, and Lincoln the complete opposite. The real impact of the debates was that they put Lincoln on the national "map" as a major political figure. -
LeCompton Constitution
Pro-slavery advocates came into the Kansas Territory and introduced a document, the LeCompton Constitution, that would make Kansas a slave state. This was the second constitution drafted for the Kansas Territory; it permitted slavery, excluded free blacks from living in Kansas, and allowed only male citizens of the United States to vote. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown, a fanatical abolitionist, and 21 of his followers seized an arsenal and armory in Western Maryland and took 60 hostages. Brown had hoped for the slaves of these men to join in the revolt, but to his disappointment none had. This 2-day raid was stopped by General Robert E. Lee. After the raid, southerners lived in fear of slave uprisings and invasions by armed abolitionists. -
Election of 1860
Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln went against Democratic candidate Stephen Douglas. Southerners did not like Lincoln because he argued against expanding slavery into any of the new territories. The South had feared that Lincoln's election would lead to its end and vowed to leave the Union if he was elected. -
Crittenden Compromise
Senator John Crittenden proposed a series of constitutional amendments as an attempt to prevent the secession of southern states and to avoid the Civil War. This compromise guaranteed the right to hod slaves in all territories south of 36°30′N. Lincoln did not accept this compromise because it violated his position to stop the extension of slavery. -
South Carolina Secedes from the Union
South Carolina was the first of the 11 states to secede from the Union. After Lincoln was elected, the South called for secession; they believed that northern, non-slavery states would take away the rights of southern states to keep slaves. A convention was held in SC where they was a unanimous vote to break away from the Union. -
"Bleeding Kansas" Ends
Anti-slavery forces prevailed through the state as Kansas entered into the Union as a free state on January 29,1861. "Bleeding Kansas" has been said to have led to the Civil War because it led to the establishment of the Republican Party. -
Attack on Fort Sumter
The Confederates had fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor in South Carolina. After SC's secession, they demanded that the fort be turned over to them, but Union officials refused. For 33 hours, the Confederates continuously shot at the fort until they finally surrendered. There were no casualties, but this attack became the beginning battle that prompted the Civil War.
