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The "gag rule"
The House of representatives argued over the "gag rule", whih prohibited the discussion of slavery. This rule angered many Americans and ended up ading support to the Abolitionist cause. -
Mexican American War
The Mexican American war eventually brought about the annexation of California to the US, The debate over Californias status as either a free or slave state began and helped initiate debates that would lead to sucession. -
Sucession???
Talk of sucession began. California entered the Union as a free state, changing the balance between slave states and free states. Henry Clay introduced a bill which included admitting California into th Union as a free state, but also required free statese to return slaves that have escaped and allowed the population of western territories to vore on whether to allow slavery when applying for statehood. -
"Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Harriet Beecher Stowe's book, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was published, and helped give a voice to strengthen the abilitionist movement, widening the division between the North and the South. -
The Underground Railroad
Harriet Tubmans Underground Railroad became more prominent that before, and would help many slaves, particulary in North Georgia to escape. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, allowing popular sovereighnty to decide weather the two territories would be free or slave, basically cancelling out the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which prohibited slavery north of a certain lattitude line. -
Dred Scott Decision
In 1857 the supreme court debated on the Dred Scott decision. Scott was a slave who had been living on free territory for years, and sued for freedom when his owner dies. The court decided that since Scott was black, he was not an American citezen, meaning that he could not sue for freedom. This decision brought abour more political debates on slavery between the North and the South. The abolishonist movement also began to grow rapidly. -
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln is elected President. Lincol was a strong supporter for stopping the spread of slavery, and played a large role in passing the Emancipation Proclamation. -
The Emancipation Proclamation
President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which was supossed to free all African American slaves, but did not actually free a singe slave until the 13th amendment was passed. -
The 13th Amendment
The 13th Amendment was passed by congress. It stated that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction". Meaning that slavery was finally banned in the United States.
