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Northwest Ordinance(Political)
The northwest ordinance of 1787 was the most important of the three ordinances that were put in place to help divide and figure out the northwest territory, as many states put their bids in. The ordinance of 87, each district of the territory yr was ruled by a governor until it reached 5,000 free adult males, and then it would become a territory which after would try to earn statehood. This territory was problem free: no slavery, education, no Indian removal, etc. This did not cause any tension. -
Missouri Compromise(Political)
The Missouri Compromise did important things: it admitted Missouri as a lave state, admitted Maine as a free state, and banned slavery from all of the remaining Louisiana Compromise land north of the parallel. This would remain in effect for thirty years. It gave both sides what they wanted, which was not only a state each, but the north got another restriction no more slavery above the parallel while the south got one state above it. This helped ease tensions, for the time being. -
Nat Turner Rebellion(Social)
The Nat Turner rebellion was a anti-slavery attack by Nathaniel Turner, a slave who turned other slaves against the whites and killed about 55 whites. Turner believed he was chosen by God for this purpose, and it actually worked to his advantage. Although the whites responded to this act by killing more than 200 black people, the event stiffened pro slavery movements and support in the area and did not create tensions as much as the event should of on paper. -
The Gag Rule(Political)
Over the span of time but first put into place during 1836, the gag rule stopped petitions of anti-slavery ideas from being presented to the courts. John Quincy Adams was disgusted by this, and wanted it disbanded immediately, because it violated the first amendment rights. Adams received lots of flack for this idea. The gag rule furthered tensions between the North and the South because now anti-slavery ideas could not ever be discussed or put through in Congress. -
Amistad Case(Political)
The Amistad Case was a supreme court case that involved a group of Africans who had been captred aboard a Spanish ship that sailed into Long Island. The US took the Africans into custody to be tried with murder, for killing and revolting aganist the spanish aboard the ship who had bought them. The abolotionlists and slaves won, and the tensions between difeent groups who supported or were aganis t slavery grew. -
Annexation of Texas(Political)
The annexation of Texas was the introduction of Texas to the US from Mexico. Formerly known as the republic of Texas, they declared independence from Mexico in 1836 but was rejected after they tried to join the US in the same year. John Tyler tried to sneak them in privately in 1844 but the truth became public after going for ratification. The state was accepted by both Tyler's plan and Polk's encouragement. This eased tensions because both sides were able to agree somewhat. -
Mexican War(Social)
The Mexican War was a war between United States and Mexico over Texas's boundary's and where they should be. The United States won many battles and gained over 500,000 square miles of Mexican territory. During the war, the war acted as a sort of cover up for the slavery issues, but
they were quickly reopened and the war just furthered tensions as there was a discussion to be had about new land gained. -
Wilmont Proviso(Political)
The Wilmot Proviso was a amendment to block slavery in the territory acquired from Mexico resulting from the Mexico War. This movement was blocked, but it was extremely effective in helping inspire new plans to block slavery. It also was one of the most effective events in opening up the rift between anti-slavery abolitionists and pro-slavery activists, and also helped form the republican party later in 1854. -
California Gold Rush(Economic)
The California Gold Rush was a extremely important event in US history, as it brought many hopeful gold miners to San Francisco and the west coast, and the population was multiplied by 100, from 1000 to 100000. The total price of gold extracted was up to 2 billion in 1852. President James Polk confirmed the theories and then findings by California farmers, and the reaction was instant. This spurred California to be admitted as a free state. This helped spur economic growth. -
Compromise of 1850(Poltical)
The Compromise of 1850 was a series of bills that exacerbated the dispute of slave and non-slave states even though the purpose was to resolve these political issues. The compromise admitted California as a free state, defined a new Texas and Mexico boundary, and also left Utah and New Mexico to decide for themselves on the issue of slavery. Lastly, it also put into action the fugitive slave act, a controversial law that would push forward the tensions between the North and the South. -
Fugitive Slave Act(Political)
The fugitive slave acts were possibly the most controversial decision that came out of the whole buildup to the war. The plan stated that runaway slaves that had escaped into another state were to be brought back into the state they were owned in and returned to their owners. The 1850 act brought the opposite effect, as it tried to to give too much power, therefore giving the north more chances to respond. These obviously created a lot of tension in both sides. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin(Social)
The novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, a anti-slavery book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, is one of the best selling books of all time, and heavily contributed to start of the Civil War. The story is about Uncle Tom, an enslaved man, who's life is depicted in vivid and graphic detail by Stowe, who after the publication was widely known in the North and the South, for different reasons of course. The book inspired northerners hope and angered the south to the point of denouncing the book altogether. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act(Economical)
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was supposed to take a middle ground, by using the territory of Nebraska to establish a popular sovereignty and contradicting the Missouri compromise, which set a clear line through the United States for slave and free states. The law was put through and slavery was put up in the air in the newly formed territories of Nebraska and Kansas. The bill also caused "Bleeding Kansas", a violent uprising against the bill on both sides. This caused tensions to skyrocket. -
Ostend Manifesto(Political and Economic)
The Ostend Manifesto voiced the expansion movement at its highest peak, when three US diplomats informed the the secretary of state William L Marcy about gaining the territory of Cuba from Spain. Three US ministers were tasked with gaining the territory in Ostend, Belgium, hence the name. After they were duly rejected, the details were released as a manifesto to sway to southern opinion. This created more tension because it made the southerners more powerful. -
Dred Scott Decision(Political turned Social)
The Dred Scott Decision, also known as Dred Scott vs Sanford, ruled against Dred Scott, a slave from Missouri, that lived in a free territory and was ruled by the Supreme Court that he did not have right to his freedom. The greatly weighed on tensions and is thought of one of the worst decisions in Supreme Court history, if not the worst. This showed that even the courts were convoluted , as the decision had shown that the courts thought African-Americans had no freedom all in their opinion. -
The Raid on Harpers Ferry(Social)
The raid on Harper's Ferry was started by John Brown, a abolitionist who deeply hated pro-slavery movement from Virginia. Brown and 21 followers raided Harpers Ferry for its armory and weapons. Fighting lasted about two days and after death and submission, Brown was captured and tried for treason. He was promptly hanged. This event was extremely important to the start of the war, and was the last straw. -
Crittenden Compromise(Political)
The Crittenden Compromise was proposed by Senator John Crittenden and again was intended to resolve conflict and issues between the North and the South before war broke out. The 'compromise" was basically just satisfying the South's needs; the bill stated that the original Missouri compromise would be back in effect by the line being put back into place. Obviously, this worsened tensions as the bill didn't pass because of Lincoln and other Northern Republicans.