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Discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill caused a flock of people to rush westward, in hopes of striking gold. From ~14,000 people in 1848, to 300,000+ by 1855, the "Forty-Niners" led to a population boom in San Francisco and the surrounding area. Most miners were unsuccessful, but news spread fast. This population boom allowed for California to quickly become eligible for statehood come 1850, which led to large scale debate on slavery and the balance of states in the Union. -
A compromise of both sides of the slavery debate, Congress passed a stricter fugitive slave act, beginning US Marshal service of bringing back escaped slaves to the south; admitting California as a free state; abolishing the sale of slaves in DC; and adding popular sovereignty to New Mexico and Utah Territories. Introduced by Henry Clay, it was a way to diffuse tension and therefore delay the Civil War. (archives.gov) -
A meeting regarding the future of slavery, highlighting Southern division and an early talk on a possible push toward secession, "A speech by Colonel S. W. Trotti in Barnwell, South Carolina, for example, vowed that the convention would bring together the 'leading intellects' from all parts of the South to threaten the North with disunion and to make the North feel the Southern capacity for not only sustaining ourselves, but injuring them." (Varon, 223) This put the South on the offense.
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Harriet Beecher Stowe fundamentally changed the way the North viewed slavery, publishing a novel depicting the brutality of slavery in "Uncle Tom's Cabin", the best-selling book of the 19th Century. It was a response to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Act, her story bringing slavery into the homes and minds of northern readers, forcing them to ponder immorality of the institution. When she met Lincoln, he said “So you’re the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war.” (battlefields.org) -
Proposal by 3 US Diplomats to President Franklin Pierce to purchase Cuba from Spain. If Spain refused, they would have seized the island under the pretense of national security purposes. The North was outraged by the secret plan to expand slavery. "If the United States decided that
its security required possession of the island, and Spain persisted in refusing to sell, then 'by every law, human and Divine, we shall be justified in wresting it from Spain.'" (McPherson, 110) -
This group sought to expand slavery southward, with Havana at the center creating a vast slave empire, with land for tobacco, sugar, cotton. "Knights of the Golden Circle, founded in the mid-1850s to promote a 'golden circle' of slave states from the American South through Mexico and Central America to the rim of South America, curving northward again through the West Indies to close the circle at Key West." (McPherson, 116) This exacerbated secessionism and provoked fears of a conspiracy. -
Charles Sumner gave his "Crime Against Kansas" speech debating if Kansas should be admitted as a free or slave state. He personally attacked Stephen Douglas and Andrew Butler. Preston Brooks, relative of Butler took great offense regarding slavery and his home state, later approaching Sumner while working in his office to beat him over the head with a gutta-perch cane, beating him around 30 times. This was the political escalation from civil discourse to violence seen before the Civil War. -
After moving between free and slave states, Dred Scott and his wife claimed that following their moving to a free state, they were therefore free people, and decided to sue for his freedom, with his case making it up to the Supreme Court. In the landmark ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that enslaved people were not citizens, and property, therefore being out of the jurisdiction of the court. The court's decision also noted that Congress did not have authority to ban slavery. (archives.gov) -
Series of IL debates regarding the expansion of slavery in new/West territories, where Stephen Douglas advocated for the notion of popular sovereignty, while Lincoln claimed it was morally wrong. By claiming that territories could refuse to protect slavery by ignoring rulings ie Dred Scott, Douglas' belief caused a split within the Democratic party that led to a four-way race in 1860. Lincoln's words were printed across the country, solidifying him as Republican front-runner in the new party.
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John Brown led a small group of under two dozen men to take over the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, VA (now WV). Starting by sneaking into town, cutting telegraph wires and occupying several buildings-- including the US armory and the arsenal, taking a few hostages. Ironically, a free black man working the rail bridge was the first to be shot by nervous revolutionaries. By sunrise, the US Marines arrive, led by Robert E. Lee, and Brown is captured and executed in a speedy VA state trial.