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2nd Great Awakening/Rise of abolitionism
The 2nd Great Awakening was a religious revival across the U.S. The sentiments of the Awakening sparked the flame of abolitionism which became the first movement seeking immediate emancipation for blacks. -
Missouri Compromise
To settle the disputes over the land in the Louisiana Purchase, a line drawn on the 36°30’ parallel to mark that the states above the line were free states, and the states below were slave states. This created division of people who wanted slave states and people who wanted free states in the union. -
Gag Resolution
Congress created a series of Bills that would banned petitions advocating the abolition of slavery -
Election of 1844
James K. Polk was elected in 1844. Most of the democrats wanted him to acquire land like Oregon and Texas. Polk supported an extension of the Missouri Compromise line all the way across the West, which abolitionist were very against. While his presidency wasn’t controversial, the events that came shortly after were. -
Annexation of Texas
Annexed by the U.S, Texans wanted it to be admitted and asked the U.S to be admitted. This area created disputes over whether it should be a slave state or free state -
Mexican American War
After disputes between America and Mexico over the border of Texas, the U.S declared war on mexico after a small band of troops attacked us forces. Some Republicans claimed Polk started the war to acquire more land from Mexico. The land that was acquired from the war created a large divide in the parties. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was drafted to resolve issues surrounding states in the West being admitted in into the Union. The provisions of the compromise were that California would be a free state, the new states from Mexico were able to be slave states if they wanted to, and slave trade was abolished in Washington D.C., but not slavery. -
Creation of the Republican Party
After the Bill Stephen A. Douglas introduced the bill for Kansas-Nebraska Act, the provisions divided the Whigs and Northern Democrats so much, they formed the Republican party after the Whig Party was destroyed. This was a combination of some Whigs and Northern Democrats. -
Kansas Nebraska Act
Stephen A. Douglas wrote the Kansas Nebraska act proposing the creation of a new area (Nebraska) all for the construction of the transcontinental railroad. He knew Democrats would oppose it, because it was above the 36 parallel, so in the end he said that slavery was up to the state government, the Missouri Compromise was to be repealed and it would create Kansas and Nebraska. This single bill divided and destroyed the Whig Party, and lead to the creation of the Republican party. -
Bleeding Kansas
A series of bloody battles between abolitionists and pro-slavery people, this increased tension allowed them to justify hating the other side more and more. This area was controversial because the decision of slavery was left to popular sovereignty, not the line drawn from the Missouri Compromise. So people had battles over land, in order to ultimately decide whether the state had slavery or not. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
the supreme court ruled that slaves were not allowed to sue because they were property. Justice Taney wrote that the Fifth Amendment prevented Congress from taking private property without "due process of law." Therefore, Congress could not pass any laws depriving people of their property (slaves). Therefore the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional -
Lincoln Douglas Debates
Lincoln challenged his opponent Stephen A. Douglas to debates in an attempt to draw in popularity. After a while, Lincoln had become a popular figure and so his plans to have his name spread worked. -
The Election of 1860
In 1860 Lincoln was elected president. After this, many Southern states seceded from the Union afraid that he would abolish slavery. This helped launch the civil war caused by events that came as a result of secession, such as Fort Sumter. -
Thesis
The new territories acquired from the West increased sectional tension between Republicans and Democrats, particularly between pro-slavery and anti-slavery advocates. The new states always had congress in a close battle of representation of slave states and free states, which often brought Congress to a screeching halt.
