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The Wilmot Proviso was a proposal by Congressman David Wilmot to ban slavery in all territories gained from Mexico. It was passed by the House, but not by the Senate. Even though it never passed, it grew sectional tensions by showing the divide between free and slave states. It also pushed politicians to take clearer pro or anti slavery positions. This merits inclusion because it caused national debate and foreshadowed the issues that did end up leading to the Civil War. (McPherson, 54) -
The Compromise of 1850 added California as a free state, banned the slave trade in Washington D.C., and changed the Fugitive Slave Law, making it harsher. It required citizens to help in capturing enslaved people who had escaped. It temporarily eased tensions, but deepened sectional divisions. The stricter fugitive law especially upset the North, making the nation move closer to the Civil War (McPherson, 71). -
The Nashville Convention was a meeting in Tennessee that consisted of Southern leaders who got together to discuss responses to the Compromise of 1850 and the possibility of secession if slavery was threatened. It merits inclusion because it highlighted Southern states starting to unite. It also sparked their willingness to leave the Union. The convention deepened sectional tensions and foreshadowed the secession crisis that eventually led to the Civil War (McPherson, 73). -
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe that exposed the harsh realities of slavery in the United States. It became a bestseller, selling 300,000 copies in just a year, due to its vividness and realness. In the South, they hated it so much that if you were seen with it, you would be sent to prison. The book increased anti-slavery perspectives, grew sectional tensions, and started debates over slavery, pushing the nation closer to the Civil War (McPherson 88-89). -
Preston Brooks was a South Carolina Congressman who attacked Senator Charles Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor after Charles Sumner’s gave an anti-slavery speech. Sumner was severely injured. This incident highlighted the extreme violence that came along with the tensions between North and South. Southerners and Northerners were both shocked, but the North saw it as an attack on free speech and the South praised Brooks, deepening the sectional divide (Varon, 268-270). -
The Lecompton Constitution was a proposed Kansas state constitution that would have allowed slavery. This was controversial at the time because many settlers opposed it. It merits inclusion because it started to show the deep national divide over whether new states would allow slavery. The controversy over how real it was grew sectional tensions, contributing to the political conflicts that eventually led to the Civil War. (Varon, 305) -
The Panic of 1857 was a financial crisis caused by both U.S. and foreign factors. Rapid economic growth, land speculation, and investment in railroads, banks, and factories made the economy very unstable. When European investors pulled money out, lots of stock prices fell, and some banks failed as well. This merits inclusion because it widened the economic and political divide between North and South. Each region blamed the other’s policies and way of life for their problems (McPherson, 189). -
John Brown was an abolitionist who led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He was aiming to arm enslaved people and start a rebellion. The plan quickly failed, and Brown was captured, tried in December, and executed. It intensified national tensions. The North saw him as a martyr for the anti-slavery cause, while the South viewed him as the devil, pushing the nation closer to Civil War (Varon, 326-35). -
The Cooper Union Speech was given by Abraham Lincoln in New York City. He argued that the Founding Fathers were agsinst the spread of slavery in new territories. It also helped unify Northern Republicans, strengthening Lincoln's position. It merits inclusion because it introduced Lincoln to a national audience, boosted his reputation as a anti-slavery leader, and helped him with the election. Since he ended up winning, it caused tremendous amounts of North and South division (Varon, 333). -
South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union after Abraham Lincoln’s won the election. South Carolina along with other southern states became very upset with him winning, knowing his thoughts on slavery and the idea of removing it. This merits inclusion because this act triggered a chain reaction of secessions by other Southern states. These secessions directly lead to the formation of the Confederacy, causing the outbreak of the Civil War (McPherson, 235).
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