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Missouri Compromise
After Missouri applied for statehood, the US wanted a balance in the number of slave/free states. Ultimately, Congress reached an agreement. Missouri was admitted as a slave state and Maine as a free state, maintaining the Congressional balance. A line was drawn through the through the 36⁰30 parallel, dividing north and south as free and slave. It was significant because it strengthened the union for 30+ years,and created a sectional divide between north and south. -
Second Great Awakening (1830s)
Throughout the 1830s, the Second Great Awakening was taking place. It consisted of a series of religious revivals in the US. It also urged many Americans to begin reform efforts. One of the many reform movements that arose during this time movement was the abolitionist movement which called for an immediate end to the institution of slavery. This was significant because it led many non-Southerners rejecting slavery and inspired new literature and speakers to preach about anti-slavery. -
Nat Turners Rebellion
In August of 1831, a slave by the name of Nat Turner sparked an uprising that spread through multiple plantations in southern Virginia. About 60 white people were killed, but the deployment of the militia suppressed the rebellion after a couple days. This event was significant because spread paranoia and fear throughout the white southerners and is said to have expedited the coming of the civil war. -
Nullification Crisis
The nullification crisis was a confrontation between SC and the federal government. They were trying to declare tariffs passed by the fed. government null and void. The resolution was in favor of the fed. government and undermined the nullification doctrine. This was significant because it boiled sectional tensions between the North and South and brought them to the surface. Also, questions began to rise like how far can the federal government go and if they could place limitations on the South. -
Underground Railroads (1950s)
Vast systems of routes that helped runaway slaves escape to Canada or safe areas in free states. Large networks of people helped fugitive slaves escaped on these routes. They effectively moved hundreds of slaves north each year according to some estimates (100,000 lost slaves between 1810-50). This was significant because they couldn't come to the resolution on the what the law of slavery should be. And, northerners aided the escape of slaves angering the South. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was passed as a part of the Compromise of 1850. It forced federal officials to arrest runaway slaves otherwise, they would have to pay a fine (also applied to citizens in some manners). This act was very controversial. It is significant because it caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery. It was also very unpopular in the north, causing many indifferent northerners to convert to anti-slavery views, further sectionalizing the nation. -
Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Tubman
Was a fictional novel that helped exhibit the slave life. It was the second best-selling book, second to the Bible. Northerners had their eyes opened to the horrors of the institution of slavery while the South protested that her writing was slanderous and misrepresenting them. This literature was significant because it was so popular and it brought the issue of slavery to life, helping people who were unmoved at this point in time. It also widened the division between the North and South. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act and Bleeding Kansas (1854-58)
Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed in 1854 and it allowed the two territories to decide with popular sovereignty whether they want to be a free or slave. In 1856 though, Kansas became a hotspot for many acts of violence. Pro/Anti-slavery people fought over the state's fate and this was nicknamed Bleeding Kansas. This is significant because it foreshadowed the Civil War. The violent events was a major leap towards the road to secession from the South and eventual war. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave in Virginia suing for his freedom. It went to the supreme court where the justices found that as a slave, Scott was property that did not have the legal rights. This case was significant because classifying slaves as mere property made the federal government's authority to regulate slavery a lot more ambiguous. It also created new challenges for the South to limitations on slavery and continued to intensify the polarization between pro- and anti-slavery supporters. -
Rejection of the Lecompton Constitution
It was a pro-slavery document created allowing Kansas to be a slave state. These pro-slavery supporters who stood behind President James Buchanan attempted to push the Constitution through congress. But there was too much opposition so it was sent back the following year to KS. KS voters rejected it and it was declared a free state. It was significant because it led to the statehood of KS and the two wings of the democratic party began to polarize, causing tension. -
John Brown's Harpers Ferry Raid
In October of 1859, the abolitionist John Brown organized a group of white allies and free blacks and raided a government arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. He was trying to seize weapons and distribute them to Southern slaves to spark uprisings. This event was significant because Southerners began to militarize for protection against these abolition movements and raids. -
Election of Abraham Lincoln
He was elected even though he wasn’t on a lot of Southern ballots. He was a Republican, and anti-slavery. This outlook on the slavery scared Southerners. This was significant because a month later, SC seceded and other states began to leave and form the Confederacy. Also, Lincoln agreed that the South was becoming too powerful and made it part of their platform that slavery would not be extended to any new territories or states added to the union.
