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Nat Turner, a former enslaved preacher, claimed to have seen a sign from God (a comet) that he should lead a revolt against his enslavers. He did, killing between 55-65 white men, women, and children during his insurrection. The local militia then suppressed the uprising. Turner went on the run for 10 weeks before being caught, tried, and executed for the insurrection.
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The Gag Rule is passed. It prevented legislators from discussing slavery and as a result abolition in the House. It was repealed in 1844. It played a key role in escalating tensions over slavery and only bolstered support for abolition. (Varon, 110) I feel this is important to include because it shows how desperate the South has become to protect the institution of slavery.
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War fought between Mexico and America. A border dispute ended in bloodshed and the war began in full swing. After two years of fighting, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed. The conflict left the question of what states would allow slavery. The answers laid in the Wilmot Proviso and the Compromise of 1850. This is important to include because much of the dsiscord surrounding slavery came after western territory was introduced.
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The Wilmot Proviso was introduced in August 1846 by Pennsylvania congressman David Wilmot. It proposed that slavery be banned in any territory acquired from Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American War. It was passed in the House but failed in the Senate. (McPherson 52) This is important to include because it highlights there were other attempts at preventing slavery from heading west other than the Compromise of 1850. That, and there is a street labeled 'Wilmot Rd' near to where I live.
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The Fugitive Slave Act stated that all escaped slaves should be returned to their owner once captured and that officials/citizens of free states had to cooperate. This is important because it further polarized both sides. The north was pissed that the act was passed and circumvented their own laws and beliefs of slavery.
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Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes Uncle Tom's Cabin, a book that helped fuel the abolitionist movement. I feel this is important to include as the book helped to bring more awareness to what goes on at a southern plantation that uses slave labor.
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Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts was viciously beaten by Senator Preston Brooks of South Carolina in the Senate after Sumner made fun of Andrew Butler, Brooks' cousin, and his speech impediment. Sumner was nearly killed and suffered constant health problems for the rest of his life, Brooks was given a slap on the wrist, reigning from and then being reelected to Congress. The incident only highlighted the polarization in America at that time.
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John Brown, and staunch abolitionist, thought it'd be a good idea to use slaves to raid Harpers Ferry, one of only two places in the US that housed and manufactured the guns used by the US military. He planned to use the guns to arm slaves and start a slave uprising. However, it ended up being a complete disaster and John Brown being tried and executed. The South was now fully convinced the north would fight them for their slaves and the north turned John Brown into a martyr.
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The Election of 1860 and its results directly led to the secession of the majority of southern states. The rest would follow a little whiles after the fact. The election ended with Abraham Lincoln coming out on top. He was a member of the Republican Party, a known abolitionist party. While Lincoln was in support of containment, not outright abolition yet, that didn't matter to the southern states.
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At the entrance of Charleston Harbor lay Fort Sumter, an undersupplied Union fort that remained in Union hands after secession. After offering to pay for the fort and being rejected, the South attacked the meager force defending the fort. This is considered the beginning of the American Civil War.