House Divided Timeline

  • Mexican-America War

    Mexican-America War

    mexico battling for land and the US wanted to keep their land of texas (1846-1848)
  • Compromise of 1850

    Compromise of 1850

    5 separate bills passed by the US; abolished slave trade but not slaves
  • Fugitive Slave Law

    Fugitive Slave Law

    provide southern slave holders with capabilities of capturing slaves that escaped free states
  • Underground Railroad

    Underground Railroad

    a network of secret routes to help African American slaves escape into free states
  • Pro and Anti Slave Literature

    Pro and Anti Slave Literature

    The north and south would write books against each other; southerners believed northerners were destroying institutions of slavery
  • KS-NE Act

    KS-NE Act

    allowed people of KS and NE territories to decide whether or not to allow slavery on their borders- popular sovereignty
  • Bleeding Kansas

    Bleeding Kansas

    the first place to demonstrate that the sectional crisis could easily be blown into a nation crisis; a series of violent confrontations (1855-59)
  • Sumner-Brooks Incident

    Sumner-Brooks Incident

    Preston Brooks used a cane to attack Senator Charles Sumner
  • Republican Party Est.

    Republican Party Est.

    created by abolitionists and northerners; an opponent of democratic party
  • Lecompton Constitution

    Lecompton Constitution

    Congress was asked to accept the pro-slavery document even if it did not have majority vote- they did not accept. (1856-1858)
  • Panic of 1857

    Panic of 1857

    decline in international economy
  • Dred Scott vs Sandford

    Dred Scott vs Sandford

    decision if slaves were american citizens and could sue in federal court
  • Lincoln-Douglas Debates

    Lincoln-Douglas Debates

    Lincoln understood slavery and southerners were angry that Douglas didn’t support the Dred Scott decision enough
  • John Brown's Raid

    John Brown's Raid

    The abolitionist wanted to abolish slavery and initiated a revolt
  • Election of 1860

    Election of 1860

    Abraham Lincoln became president- threw the nation on a path to war