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Importation of Slaves Ends
The expiration of the promise in the Constitution to not prohibit the importation of slaves. This event was political because it dealt with the Constitution, although its effects were also felt socially. -
The Missouri Compromise
Established Missouri as a slave state, created Maine as a free state, and outlawed slavery above the 36° 30' latitude line. This event was social and political, having to do with the underlying issue of slavery and maintaining good relations between the North and South. -
The Wilmot Proviso
A controversial bill that Democrat David Wilmot conceived that aimed to ban slavery in the new lands acquired from Mexico. This event was political and had to do with the social structure of the West. -
The Compromise of 1850
An attempt at lessening the blow that admitting California as a free state would have had on the South. It was political, being signed into law in pieces and approved by President Millard Fillmore. -
The Fugitive Slave Act
A part of Senator Clay's compromise which stated that any African American could be deemed as a fugitive and sent to the South. This act was political, although it had a social impact. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
A book written by Harriet Bleecher Stow which exposed slavery and had a very strong effect on the North. This book was social, but affected the country on a political level due to its popularity. -
The Kansas Nebraska Act
Created the slave territories of Kansas and Nebraska, undoing the Missouri Compromise. This act was political and dealt with the social structure of the West, similarly to the Wilmot Provision. -
Bleeding Kansas
A mini civil war within Kansas between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers. It affected the United States on a social, political, and economical level. -
The Caning of Charles Sumner
This event saw Preston Brooks cane Charles Sumner after he insulted his second cousin, South Carolina Senator Andrew P. Butler. A largely political occurrence that showed the sensitivity surrounding slavery. -
The Dred Scott Decision
After Dred Scott, a slave, was temporarily taken to free land by his owner and sued for his freedom, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of slavery. This was a social event, the outcome of which was determined by political and economic interests.