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Wilmot Proviso
This bill aimed to outlaw slavery in territories taken from Mexico. The bill was passed in the House of Representatives but was defeated in the Senate causing a division in Congress. Although it wasn't a success, it led to the formation of the Free Soil Party. -
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The Nation Breaking Apart
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Compromise of 1850
This plan was created to settle tensions between the North and the South. California would have to be admitted as a free state, trade would have to be abolished in Washington D.C, Congress would not pass laws regardng slavery for the rest of the territories won from Mexico, and Congress would pass a stronger law to help slaveholdes recapture runaway slaves. This law increased tensions since the North didn't like the idea of helping slaveholders recapture slaves. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This bill was created to organize territorial governments for the Nebraska Territory. It divided the land into Kansas and Nebraska. Stephen A. Douglas decided that slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty in the new lands. It allowed people to vote for slavery where the Missouri Compromise had banned it. The bill angered opponents of slavery. -
"Bleeding Kansas"
A proslavery mob attacked Lawrence, Kansas. The attack was known as the Sack of Lawrence. To get revenge, John Brown, an extreme abolitionist, murdered five people. The attack is known as te Pottawatomi Massacre. After this event, violence continued for three more years. -
Caning of Sumner
Senator Charles Sumner insulted A.P. Butler in his speech. Preston Brooks, a relative of Butler, was angry. He hit Sumner in the head with a cane multiple times when Sumner was sitting at his desk. Northeners were shocked at the violence in the Senate. -
Dred Scott v. Sanford
Dred Scott was a slave in Missouri. His owner took him to a territory where slavery was illegal. Scott sued for his freedom after his owner died. Roger B. Taney argued that Scott was not a U.S. citizen since he was Native American. Therefore, he could not sue in U.S. courts. Northerners were outraged due to te growing power of the South. -
Attack on Harpers Ferry
John Brown, the man who murdered five people in "Bleeding Kansas," captured weapons in the U.S. arsenal. He wanted to inspire slaves to fight for their freedom. As a result, he was hanged and killed. His death horrified the North. -
Election of 1860
Lincoln won the Election of 1860 since he had more electoral votes. He promised not to abolish slavery, but the South didn't believe him. White southerners saw Lincoln's victory as a threat tothe Southern was of ilife. As a result, the Southern states seceded.