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Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad consisted of hidden houses and trails that runaway slaves could hide in. Harriet Tubman played a big role in the Underground Railroad because she made 19 trips and helped free over 300 slaves. It is estimated that between 40,000 and 100,000 slaves were saved. This increased the tension between the states because the South was angry that slaves were escaping, leading to political retribution. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was to prevent any more tension between the North and South. The North gained California as a free-state and the South gained the Fugitive Slave Act, which meant any runaway slaves in the North, had to be taken and returned to their owners. Fugitives were denied the right of a trial and all citizens had to help capture runaway slaves. This eventually caused even more tension since so many people were against this act. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a novel written by Harriet Beecher Stowe. This book was inspired by the Fugitive Slave Act and focused on the pure evilness and cruelty of slavery. This story contributed to the increase of abolitionists by the late 1850s. This novel was one of the biggest factors that started the Civil War (or big war). -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act created the territories of Nebraska and Kansas, and allowed the people who lived there to vote for or against slavery (popular sovereignty). Many Northerners and Southerners moved to these territories to help their side in the debate. This act reversed the Missouri Compromise and allowed slavery in areas where it wasn't allowed before. This shifted power and stirred up tension between territories. -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a mini civil war between pro and anti-slavery groups that took place in Kansas from 1855 to 1861. Following after the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854, thousands of Northerners and Southerners came to the new Kansas Territory. Many Northerners planned to prevent slavery at all costs. This shaped American politics and greatly contributed to the cause of the Civil War. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott vs Sanford was a famous court case that was decided in 1857. Dred Scott was a slave who tried to sue for his own freedom and the freedom of his family, which was unsuccessful. The court found that Scott was property and did not have any legal rights since he was a slave, which caused people to become enraged, and it fueled sectional controversy. -
The Lecompton Constitution Rejected by Kansas Voters
In 1857, the Lecompton Constitution was created, allowing Kansas to be a state that practiced and supported enslavement. Pro-enslavement forces were supported by President James Buchanan, and they attempted to push the Constitution through the U.S. Congress for approval. It was later turned down by Kansas voters, and soon enough, Kansas became a free state, only making Southerners more angry to have lost a chance at pro-enslavement growth. -
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The Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of seven different debates between Stephen A. Douglas and Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois state election campaign. Lincoln stated that the issue in his contest with Douglas was the issue of right and wrong, and he openly suggested that Douglas was trying to prove a wrong to be a right. Douglas was against Lincoln's effort to resolve a controversial moral question by political means, notifying that it could lead to civil war. -
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John Brown's Harpers Ferry
John Brown lead a raid and it was intended to be the first stage in an elaborate plan to create an independent hold of freed slaves. Brown was captured during the raid and was later convicted of treason and hanged, but the raid only escalated white Southern fears of slave rebellions and increased the tension between Northern and Southern states before the American Civil War -
Lincoln's Election
Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. He won by many votes, even though he was not included on any Southern ballets. He was a republican and had many anti-slavery ideas. 6 months after he was elected, South Carolina seceded the Union and 6 states followed in the spring. The South knew that they had lost the balance of power, and this only made things worse between the states.