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The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an effort to try to balance slavery in the nation. This event took place in 1820. Missouri wanted to be an addition to the nation but they wanted to be a slave state. The compromise made Missouri a slave state and added it to the nation but to balance out the power they made Maine a free state. The United States now had a balance of 11 free states and 11 slave states. -
Wilmot Proviso
The wilmot proviso was created by David proviso in 1846. William was from Pennsylvania and wanted to propose a ban on slavery in all of the Mexican cession territories. The bill passed in the house of representatives but in did not end up passing in the senate. The southerners were mad because they viewed it as an attack on slavery. -
The Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 allowed slavery to grow and go above the missouri compromise line. It was written by Henry clay in 1850. It allowed slave owners to go above the line where there was not supposed to be slavery. The north was upset because slavery could happen in the north. Slave owners could also retrieve their slaves, if they escaped to the north, after a long period of time. Some slave owners even took slaves that were not theirs. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was an act made in 1850 that stated any slaves who escaped from slavery no matter where they were, could be taken back into slavery. This act was very controversial. The South benefited because they still had slaves in the South but the North outlawed slavery so many slaves would try to escape to the North. Many slave owners would go to the North and just take any African American they saw and claimed they were their slave. -
Uncle Tom´s Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Harriet was an abolitionist who felt very strongly about slavery. The book was a story about the a family being broke up when the family is sold to different slave owners. This story depicted the many horrors of being a slave and everything they encountered while working. Written in 1853, this book was said to set the groundwork for the Civil War. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act was an act passed in the spring of 1854. This act created by Stephen Douglas, allowed for the citizens of Kansas and Nebraska to vote on whether slavery existed in their state or not. This act was set in place in substitution of the Missouri Compromise. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas is also known as Border War that took place in Kansas in 1854 to 1861. Led by Stephen Douglas Anti slavery and Pro slavery citizens of Kansas were fighting for new land in Kansas to be under popular sovereignty. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott was a slave that wanted to be free. He had to go through many courts to try to become free. He was sued for his freedom. He lived in the north where slavery was illegal and he argued saying that since he lived there he was a free man. The final decision that was made was he could not be sued because he was not a U.S citizen because he was a slave. Just because he was living in a free state does not make him free and slaves are property protected by the US constitution. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
The Lincoln Douglas debate happened in 1858. It was when they were running against each other. Douglas believed in popular sovereignty. Lincoln thought slavery was wrong. He thought all African Americans should be entitled to the rights given by the constitution. Douglas ended up winning the election. Later they ran against each other for president. The debate made Lincoln a very well known person and he became the next president. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown’s Raid happened in 1859. It was when he brought a bunch of people together to fight for no slavery. He wanted to free slaves in the south. He attacked many towns in Virginia. They stole guns and wanted to start a slavery revolt. Him and his team killed many people. Eventually he was wounded and taken to jail. He was willing to give his life to save the slaves in the south. He was found guilty of murder in and was hung. -
Lincoln´s Election of 1860
In 1860 Lincoln of the Republican party and Stephen Douglas were the prime candidates. Abraham Lincoln was running on behalf of equality of the all. His main point in running was to completely abolish slavery from all of the States in the Union. On the other hand his rival Douglas was running for slavery. He believed that it was the right of the states to vote on whether there was slavery in a state or not. In the end, Lincoln, the running in favor, won the election of 1860. -
Southern Secession
The southern secession happen in 1861, when the nation was breaking apart. Many of the states in the south seceded from the union because they thought that lincoln would not do anything in their favor. This lead to the battle of fort sumter. The US troops surrendered and the confederates attack of the fort marked the start of the civil war.
