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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise kept the balance of free and slave states by admitting Maine as free and Missouri as slave. Also, the 36'30 degree line was put into place; this was an imaginary boundary that stretched across the US that signified which territories or soon-to-be-states could or could not be slave states. Any below had the choice of free or slave while any above had to be free states. This was planned to maintain balance in Congress. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
On this date in 1831, Nat Turner, a slave from Viriginia, had a vision from God that told him to initiate a revolt, and after this, Turner hoped it would spark a widespread uprising. After gathering a group of around 70 allies, Turner led the group and killed 60 whites.The response from local militias and naval detachments was sharp, as they excuted and killed over 200 african-americans. This revolt instilled so much fear that unfair laws were made to affect blacks. -
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US--Mexican War
After this war, A TON of land was won from Mexico and America would then and later have a huge problem with this newly-aquired area: whether they would become free or slave states. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 had 4 major points; California was admitted as a free state, Congress could not interfere with any trafficking of slaves in the South, a stronger fugitive slave law was put into place than was recently used, and the slave trade in Washington D.C. was now banned. This was widely disliked, and inspired many people to organize the Underground Railroad, an escape route for slaves to reach the North. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe Released "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Northerner Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes and releases "Uncle Tom's Cabin", a novel describing the lives of slaves in the South. The book became the second most popular book in its first year (behind only the Bible) and inspired more and more people of the North to act out against slavery. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act Was Passed
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed during this year, and it basically disregarded and overturned the 36'30 degree line from the Missouri Compromise. It said the citizens of each territory would determine whether the state would be of the free or slave variety. This sparked a series of battles in Kansas between the anti-slavery activists (lead by John Brown) and those who favored slavery to try to get Kansas to be the type of state they preferred. -
Dred Scott Sues for Own Freedom
Dred Scott was a slave that filed a lawsuit that argued that he should be set free because his master took him to a territory that did not allow slavery. Scott's case traveled all the way to the Supreme Court, where it was ruled that because he was of African descent, he could not legally sue and also, was not and could not be an American citizen. This obviously caused major unrest between the two sides with opposite standpoints on the subject of slavery. -
John Brown Raids the Armory at Harpers Ferry
John Brown and a group of fellow anti-slavery activists raided the armory at Harpers Ferry in an attempt to use the stolen weapons to assist slaves escaping from the South. Brown and his men were defeated by a detachment of Marines lead by Robert E. Lee in 36 hours, and Brown was convicted of treason and hung. After this event, it was evident there would not be a peaceful end to the problematic issue of slavery. -
Abraham Lincoln Elected as President
In this year, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. This was substantial because he was not on any of the ballots for any state in the deep south, showing the real divide of the North and South and creating even more unrest, especially in South Carolina. -
South Carolina Secedes From the Union
After Lincoln was elected as president of the USA, South Carolina seceded from the Union. This caused a chain reaction of states in the South breaking away from America and the formation of the Confederate States of America, the rogue country these states formed. Jefferson Davis was immediately elected the first president of the "CSA". -
Confederate Troops Fire on US Fort Sumter
At this point, President Lincoln was still hoping for a peaceful solution when he sent US troops to resupply an American military fort, Fort Sumter. However, his attitude changed dramatically after Confederate troops attacked the fort, killed many Americans, and consequently started the American Civil War.
