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1518
The Middle Passage
Middle Passage- The Middle Passage was a part of the Triangular trade that involves millions of Africans being transported to the Americas in exchange for manufactured goods, weapons, materials, and even liquor. This started in 1518 when the first 20 Africans were captured by the Potuguese and were carried across the seas to land in the British colony of Virginia. which they were then bought by English colonists and this marked the beginning of the slave trade/Middle Passage. -
Fugitive Slave Cause
The Fugitive Slave Clause was a part of the United States Constitution, and it was passed in 1787, along with the rest of the Constitution. This clause gave slave owners the right to capture escaped slaves or indentured servants in another state, without the restrictions of the other states laws about slavery. This was very important because escaped slaves from the South couldn’t find peace as soon as they passed state lines. -
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise is a legislation that helped fuel slavery by a ton. The Missouri Compromise made the North not be able to stop any states below 36 degrees 30'becoming slave states, while the South couldn't have any slave states above that line. This created a defined border for the North and South, and many disputes happened on that line. -
Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and houses that helped escaped slaves reach safety in the North. Sympathizers would let slaves sleep and give them food while on their journey to the North. There were also conductors that guided slaves to the safe houses. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
On August 22, 1831, Nat Turner led enslaved African Americans in a rebellion against their owners. In Southampton County, Virginia, Nat Turner brought up to 120 enslaved black people from house to house, killing the whites and freeing the slaves. This inspired many other slaves to uprise, and showed them it was possible. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was made up of five bills that tried to resolve slavery disputes after the Mexican-American War. The Compromise was led by senators Henry Clay and Stephan Douglas. It let California become a free state, and let Utah and New Mexico decide which they wanted. It also included the Fugitive Slave Act, making slaves’ escapes more difficult. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a novel written by abolitionist Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852. It laid the groundwork for the civil war, and it highlighted the hardships of slavery, along with the power of Christian love. Only second in the category of the bestselling book in the 19th century to the Bible, 1.3 million copies were sold in America and Great Britain in the first year. -
Bleeding Kansas
After the creation of the new territory Kansasin 1854, pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces clashed. Kansas’ statute of being free or not was up in the air, and the two sides were fighting. New England anti-slavery settlers were sent into Kansas, and were met by opposing Missouri settlers. The act divided the democtat party, and sparked the first republicans. -
Dred Scott Case
This case was officially between Dred Scott and Sandford, but blossomed into much more. Dred Scott was a slave that had been brought around the country by his owner, Sandford. Since Scott had been forced to live in two free areas, the Wisconsin Territory and Illinois, he argued that those laws should be applied to him. He ended up losing the case, but it was a big step towards slaves in court. -
John Brown's Raid
John Brown’s Raid occurred on October 16, 1859, when the abolitionist brought 18 men into Harper Ferry, Virginia. He planned to steal weapons and ammunition for Harper Ferry, and was going to supply slaves to go on a rampage. He didn’t make it far after stealing the weapons though, but many people respected Brown for his actions, and treated him as a martyr. -
Emancipation Proclamation
Issued on January 1, 1863 by Abraham Lincoln, it declared that every slave shall now be free, and it will stay that way if the North had won the war. This ended slavery once and for all. The Proclamation also allowed black men to enter the navy and military to fight for the Union. This gave slaves newfound hope, and inspired them to fight against the South.