-
Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was a compromise that allowed Missouri to join the United States as a slave state and also Maine as a free state. It brought a temporary peace among the states. Ultimately the compromise could not work, but it could work for the time being to delay war. -
Nathaniel Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner's Rebellion involved himself and many fellow slaves going on a killing spree of slaveholders in Virginia. The rebellion had many effects, such as more strict slave codes, but also a fire in the hearts of slaves throughout the nation. Some consider it evil, while some consider it heroic, but either way, Turner's rebellion would change American history. -
Period: to
Wilmont Proviso
The Wilmont Proviso was a proposal that would ban slavery in any lands that might be aquired from Mexico. This bill would not pass, but still had major effects on the nation. This, obviously, aroused southern protest, along with sour debate. The nation was again seeing that they cannot come to an agreement. -
Wilmont Proviso Image (information in timespan below)
-
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a plan developed by Henry Clay that proposed that California would enter the United States as a free state, while the rest of the new territories would have no restrictions on slavery. It additionally banned slave trade in Washington, D.C. The plan was split into 5 seperate parts, allowing voters to abstain from voting on parts that they opposed. This compromise effectively delayed the Civil War by lowering tensions across the states. Like the Missouri Compromise, -
The Compromise of 1850 part 2
this plan would help for a while, but ultimately would not solve the disagreements of the North and the South. -
Fugitive Slave Act
Henry Clay also passed the Fugitive Slave Act. This act was passed as an attempt to calm and comfort slaveholders. Because of this act, all citizens were required to help catch runaways. It did not work very well and also caused much contraversy, because most citizens of the North refused to follow this law, which questioned the power of states rights. -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act - "Bleeding Kansas"
Bleeding Kansas was an outbreak of violence in the new state of Kansas. This was mainly caused by the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which proposed that each state could vote on the legality of slavery, which would effectively repeal the Missouri Compromise. This would also be along the lines of popular sovereignty, as the people were allowed to choose. Bleeding Kansas would rise tensions in the states and forshadow the Civil War. -
The Dred Scott Case - 1857
The Dred Scott case was an extremely important Supreme Court case over the freedom of a slave named Dred Scott. The case was mostly important because the decision would basically say if slavery would be legal. The decision basically said that the Constitution protected slavery. Needless to say, this electrified the nation, especially in the North. -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
The raid on Harper's Ferry was an attack led by John Brown with a group in which Brown and his men killed five slavery supporters. This raid would cause even more conflict and hostility between the North and South, and made many fear an incoming Civil War. -
Lincoln's Election
Lincoln's Election, or the election of 1860, would be one of the most important elections in United States history to date. His election made many southern states feel threatened that slavery would be taken from them, even though Lincoldn promised it would not be. This caused South Carolina to be the first state to secede from the Union. Ultimately, Lincoln would be one of the best presidents in United States history and very wisely handle the Civil War. -
Battle at Fort Sumter
The Battle at Fort Sumter was the site of the first shots of the Civil War. It would lead to the rest of the war and all of the bloodshed to come. The Confederates led the attack, forcing the Union to fight before their supplies arrived. Although no lives were lost during this battle, it would be one of the worst in our nations history, initiating the following Civil War.
