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The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was when Missouri applied for statehood which would mean there would be more slave states than free states. Luckly Maine also applied for statehood making the number of slave states and free states equal. This compromise was able to preserve the balance between the slave thates and free states although it only temporarily settled the arguement. -
Wilmot Proviso
Wilmot Proviso was a proposal introduced to congress that specified that slavery should be prohibeted in any lands taht might get aquired from Mexico (California, New Mexico). This made people in the south furious for they wanted those states to be slave states. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 is when California became a free state when it was entered into the union. Also, New Mexico could be a free state. During this time Washington D.C. had a law that would not allow the city to buy or sell slaves. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was a law that required all citizens to help catch runaway slaves and anyone who assisted the slaves who were escaping would be fined or imprisioned. People in the South believed this law would force Northerners to recognize the rights of Southerners. People tried to capture slaves who had been free for a long time. Most Northerners didn't follow the law. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Book published by Harriet Beecher Stowe. The book stunded people with her discription of how terrible slavery was. This made people in the North outraged of how horrible slavery was. -
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Bleeding Kansas
People who were against slavery moved to Kansas to vote on whether Kansas would allow slavery. There was lots of violence and it was the first violent clash over slavery. Kansas became a free state. -
Kansas/Nebraska Act
Kansas and Nebraska applied for state hood but the would give the free states in Congress the advantage. It was decided to give the states popular sovreignty letting the states vote what they wanted to do with slavery. This act led to unbalance and people felt that it undid the Missouri Compromise. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott was a slave who was kept by his "owner" even when they moved to a free state. Since they lived in a free state Dred Scott sued his owner for his freedom. Dred Scott and his family were not freed because legaly slaves aren't citizens so they could not sue. This made many people outraged and instead of solving the slavery problem, the war started and divided the country. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The debate's between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas for the Illinois senate seat. The main aguement they talked about was slavery. -
John Brown Raid
John Brown wanted to help free slaves. His original plan didn't go as planned and they went to get slave owners and hold them hostage in an aresel and he thought slaves would help and they didn't help and he got hung. This seperated the 2 sides even further and gave the North something to fight for and the South was getting scared. -
Lincoln Elected
Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States of America. This caused people in the South to be pushed more toward secession because they were afraid that he would try to get rid of slavery. -
Secession of South Carolina
South Carolina took itself out of the Union starting most of the southern states to seceed and become the Confederate States of America with their president Jefferson Davis. This is where the nation truly started to head toward war.
