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Northwest Ordinance enacted
Political
Strained tensions
This Act created a way for the Northwest Territory to be organized. It split the territory into about 5 separate territories and gave them provisional governments. They would be able to apply for statehood when the population of a territory reached 6k, but it also banned slavery in those territories. Although Southerners went along with this at first, it rose the first tensions over the free vs slave state balance. -
Missouri Compromise passed
Political
Calmed Tensions
This legislation was passed in 1820 in order to address the issue of a new state entering the Union. Missouri was to be admitted to the Union, and the question over it being a slave or free state created tensions over the balance of these states. The Compromise admitted Missouri as a slave state, Maine as a free state, and slavery was banned in any US territory above the 36th parallel. This marked the first big debate over the balance of slave and free states. -
Nat Turner's Slave Rebellion
Social
Strained tensions
Event where Nat Turner, a slave preacher, organized a slave revolt in order to state a message. He gathered a small band of armed slaves and went around to plantations in the county they were in, killing about 60 white plantation owners, women, and children. The slaves who did this were caught a few days later and were executed. This convinced the South to tighten their grip on their slaves and restrict their freedoms even more. -
Gag Rule passed
Political
Strained tensions
Law passed in 1836 that tabled any petition brought to the government on the issue of slavery and banned talk about slavery inside the government. Created by a Southern legislator in order to try and postpone the issue which their society was based on. Was challenged by John Quincy Adams and had strong opposition from Northerners, who saw this as unconstitutional and violating the 1st amendment. Abandoned after the Civil War had begun. -
Amistad Case
Political
Strained tensions
This case was brought over a successful slave mutiny on the Spanish ship, the Amistad. The slaves on the ship were enslaved illegally and were being brought to Cuba, when they had rebelled and steered the ship into American harbors. A case was brought against them for killing 2 men on the ship. Those charges were dropped as they were illegally enslaved and the Supreme Court declared them free men. -
Annexation of Texas
Political
Strained tensions
After Texas had won its independence in 1836, the new Republic of Texas applied for statehood. However, this sparked more controversy over the balance of slave and free states, as the North was angered that there would be a new, big slave state entering. These arguments were so heated that Texas' annexation was pushed off for 8 years when they were finally admitted in 1845. -
Start of the Mexican War
Political
Strained Tensions
This war was fought between Mexico and the US over a series of land encroachments and growing tensions between the two over borders. It was fought over 2 years and ended in a victory for the US. With the Treaty of Guadeloupe-Hidalgo, the US gained even more land in the southwest. However, this only promoted the controversy over the balance of the states even more as these territories began applying for statehood. -
Wilmot Proviso introduced
Political
Strained tensions
The Wilmot Proviso was a bill that would have banned slavery in the new territories the US had just acquired in their treaty with Mexico. This was met with extreme opposition and backlash from Southerners, who said that they had the right to travel to the territories and bring their property there too. The bill passed in the House, but failed in the Senate its first time around and was repeatedly debated on for years. -
California Gold Rush starts
Social
Strained tensions
The California Gold Rush started in 1848 and brought people from all over America, and some who weren't, to California in search of gold. This massive exodus led to a sudden boom in the population of California, to over 50,000 people. This, however, brought the tension over slave and free state balance back into the spotlight.
The debate over California led to the very controversial and very disliked Compromise of 1850 -
Fugitive Slave Act signed into law
Political
Strained Tensions
The FSA was part of the Compromise of 1850 that was passed. The Act allowed slave catchers to pursue fugitive into the North to capture them and made the law enforcement in the North help out on the search as well. This severely angered Northerners as they saw this act as an encroachment on their free status and riots took place to prevent enforcement of this law. -
All of the Compromise of 1850 signed into law
Political
Strained tensions
This Compromise was a series of bills that were introduced in order to resolve the tensions over the question of slavery in the new territories that the US had acquired from Mexico and border conflicts with Mexico. It settled the border dispute and banned slave trade in DC. It admitted California as a free state, left slavery in the Mexican territories to popular sovereignty, and passed a harsher Fugitive Slave Act. Met with strong opposition from both sides -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Social
Strained tensions
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a story published by author Harriet Stowe in order to give readers a glimpse into the life of a slave. Her book sold a lot of copies in the North, but the South was opposed to it. They saw the book as an unfair and over dramatized version of their institution and thought that it attacked their society. This brought the sectional tensions between the North and South into more heated debate as a very controversial and influencing book. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act signed into law
Political
Strained tensions
This act was created in response to the growing controversy over the admittance of Nebraska. It split the territory into Nebraska and Kansas and let them decide slavery by popular sovereignty in these two territories. It created widespread opposition and made thousands of people migrate there in order to swing the vote, which led to the events of Bleeding Kansas. -
Ostend Manifesto
Political
Strained tensions
This document was created in order to state the reasons why the US wanted Cuba. The Pierce administration had tried multiple times to gain Cuba from Spain and wrote this document to make the case to seize Cuba. This document was leaked to the public and immediately sparked controversy. The North was angry at the government for this as they thought it was conspiring to admit a new slave state to the US. -
Bleeding Kansas
Social
Strained Tensions
Series of bloody conflicts that happened as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Two legislatures were created in the state and para-military groups ran rampant there, intimidating the opposition and killing those who didn't agree with their ideals. Ended when a final proposal by Congress got Kansas to become a state under the LeCompton Constitution. -
Dred Scott final ruling
Political
Strained tensions
The Dred Scott case was brought over a slave, whose master had died when they were both in a free state. Scott declared himself free according to local rule and was declared free by the appellate court in Missouri. However, when the case was brought to the SC, Taney declared that the gov had no right to take slaves away and declared that slaves were treated as property. Led to widespread Northern Opposition and made the Republicans want to pack the SC afterwards -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
Social
Strained tensions
John Brown was an abolitionist who decided to raid a southern armory in order to inspire and arm a slave revolt he believed would send a message to the South. He was successful in raiding Harper's Ferry, but failed to raise the slave army he wanted and he was arrested and executed. This act convinced the South that their practices weren't safe as long as they were part of the Union and that the Republic and and the North wanted to start a large-scale slave revolt. -
Crittenden Compromise introduced
Political
Strained tensions
This Compromise was aimed at appeasing to the South in order to prevent Civil War. It proposed 6 constitutional amendments and 4 legislative acts. It aimed at re-establishing the Missouri Compromise line, compensating slave owners for lost slaves, forbidding the abolition of slavery, and the protection of these from other constitutional amendments. Opposed by president and North, leading to it being tabled and the issue of southern secession unresolved
