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Antebellum Period
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The Amistad Rebellion
Slaves aboard the ship named the Amistad, who were taken from West Africa and being shipped across the Atlantic, desperately wanted to regain their freedom. The slaves agreed to revolt and try to take over the ship. They were successful, but were imprisoned by the US Navy. The slaves were taken to court and surprisingly let free, due to their original capture and importation being deemed illegal. -
The Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a proposed amendment to a bill being passed by President Polk regarding the land acquired during the Mexican War. Wilmot proposed that the new territories should be completely anti-slavery. The south held the majority in the senate at the time, which resulted in the amendment being blocked. All though the proposal never took form and was never accepted, it stoked the fires of controversy regarding slavery and highlighted the rift between north and south. -
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Mexican-American War
The largest effect that the Mexican-American war had on the issue of slavery in the United States came about with the acquisition of new territories. The U.S. gained much of what is now our west coast and southern border from the war, and the issue of slavery was immediately faced. Many controversies arose over how slavery would be tolerated in the new territories and how the senate would stay balanced. This debate would eventually lead to the Compromise of 1850. -
The Escape of Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman, a slave in Maryland, utilized the Underground Railroad to escape to freedom in Philadelphia along with two of her brothers. Tubman decided not to live a life enjoying her freedom in the north, but instead made it her life’s work to free other slaves via the Underground Railroad. Tubman is credited as one of the most influential leaders of the Underground Railroad after making 19 trips from North to South and rescuing upwards of 300 slaves. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 included 5 laws that were passed to deal with the issue of slavery, as well as territorial expansion. The fugitive slave act was amended and the slave trade was abolished in Washington D.C. California joined The Union as a free state, which would potentially offset the balance of free vs slave states in the senate. In an attempt to re-balance the senate, the lands taken from Mexico were opened up to slave owners who wished to settle there. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850. The act solidified the law that slaves will be returned to their owners, regardless of where they were captured (free or slave state). The act also burdened the federal government with finding, returning, and trying escaped slaves. This act obviously made the situation for slaves trying to escape to freedom much worse, and would lead to many conflicts between settlers who either supported or opposed the act. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska act allowed the citizens of the territories of Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether they would like to be a free or slave state. This act went against the Missouri compromise, which agitated many northerners but was supported by many southerners. Many people from both sides of the argument rushed to settle in Kansas in an attempt to influence the decision, and conflicts of fraud and distrust pushed Kansas into two opposing legislatures. Violence soon followed. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
Dred Scott, a former slave from Missouri, filed for his freedom in Missouri after residing in the free state of Illinois. The majority of the court decided that a person of color, whose ancestors were imported and sold as slaves, could not be an America citizen, free or not. This case and decision would obviously cause anger and outrage among abolitionists, and further divide the North and South. -
Raid on Harper’s Ferry
John Brown, an influential abolitionist, along with 22 other men raided and occupied a federal arsenal. The raid was an attempt to ignite a slave revolt. The raid was eventually thwarted by the U.S. Marines and Brown was executed. This raid is widely recognized as one of the final major events before the civil war. The raid is an example of how high tensions were regarding slavery and the lengths to which people were willing to go for their cause. -
Election of Abraham Lincoln
After events such as the Kansas-Nebraska act and the Dred Scott case, the Republican Party was quickly growing and become the most dominant opposition to the Democratic Party. Abraham Lincoln was the party’s primary candidate, and had virtually no support from the southern states. Lincoln was able to gain a majority of the electoral votes and his election led to seven southern states seceding.
