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With the invention of the cotton gin it made producing fabric out of cotton much faster. Thus the needs for cotton went up and so did the need for slaves in the southern United States.
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On this day the transportation and trading of slaves from foreign nations in the United State was prohibited. It was put into effect on January 1, 1808. This law was endorsed by Thomas Jefferson whom had been pushing for abolishing international slave trade since the 1770's. However this law did not stop slave trade within the United States, which in fact the slave trade within the United States was virtually untouched by the new law.
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Nat Turner was a slave who lead a group of slaves in a rebellion in Southampton Country, Virginia. Turner and his followers were armed with knives, axes, hatchets, and guns. Their goal was to kill important local slave owners and their families. In total the rebels killed between 55 to 60 white people. The rebels ended up being captured or killed by militiamen. The rebellion caused southern states to enforce heavier proslavery laws and restricted the movement to free slaves in the South.
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By 1843 Fredrick Douglas was an escaped slave from Maryland who had become of the loudest voices in the movement to abolish slavery. Inspired by his friend and fellow abolitionist, Douglas began to speak about his time as a slave and his escape; he also wrote many articles for an abolitionist newspaper. Douglas exposed the horrors of slavery and criticized the hypocrisy of the government claiming "justice for all."
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Apart of the Compromise of 1850 the Fugitive Slave Act stated that escaped slaves even if they were in a free state, were to be returned to their owners. The act also made the government responsible for finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves. With this act the abolitionist movement grew, the Northern states opposed this act with certain personal-liberty laws, and the Underground Railroad's operations improved.
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Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote her book UNCLE TOM'S CABIN in reaction to stricter fugitive slave laws being passed. Living in Cincinnati, Stowe was exposed to fugitive slaves and the works of the Underground Railroad. So she wrote her anti-slavery novel in hopes to change America's view on slavery. Her book was a major success and helped influence America's view on slavery.
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Passed by Congress in 1854 it allowed the people living in the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether or not to allow slavery within their territory. This act opposed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 banning slavery north of latitude 36°30´. People in the North were infuriated with this act and they believed it violated their agreement with the Missouri Compromise of 1820. However, this act was heavily supported in the South.
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Dred Scott and his family filed for freedom suits after living in a free state with their owner and returning to a slave state. He claimed they should be considered free people. In 1850 the Scott's won their freedom but their owner appealed and the Missouri Supreme Court ruled the Scotts back into slavery. The Scotts appealed that case and eventually the case got to the US Supreme Court, but the Supreme Court Agreed with the owner of the Scotts. The decision of the court angered abolitionist.
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John Brown lead a group of 18 men into Harper's Ferry, Virginia. His goal was to start a major slave rebellion in the South. His plan was poorly thought out and was doomed to fail from the beginning. He and his army took control of a federal complex that contained guns and ammunition. When no slaves joined his cause, him and his men were arrested and/or killed by troops under Robert E. Lee. Northerners praised Brown and his raid but the Southerners were angered someone would admire such an act.
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With Lincoln winning the election of 1860 the southern states seceded from the Union. They were angered at the fact that a president with different views on slavery and states' rights was elected. They believed he would make decisions they wouldn't agree with. Hence forth they launched an attack of Fort Sumter thus the Civil War began.
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In the third year of the Civil War President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation stating "that all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious states "are, and henceforward shall be free."
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Two and half years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed Major General Gordon Granger lead Union soldiers the Galveston, Texas to bring the news that the war was over and that the slaves were freed. The Emancipation Proclamation has little impact in Texas due to the lack of presence of Union soldiers. So once Robert E. Lee and his army surrendered the Union final had the strength to lead an army to Texas and free the slaves.
