-
Missouri compromise
an effort by Congress to calm the sectional rivalries triggered by the requested of Missouri in 1819 for admission as a state in which slavery would be allowed -
Mexican American war
armed conflict between Mexico and the US from 1846 to 1848 followed by the 1845 Texas annexation. America won. led to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Mexican recognition of US sovereignty over Texas end of conflict between Mexico and republic of Texas -
Wilmont Proviso
A proposal to prohibit slavery in the territory acquired by the US at the end of the Mexican war. -
Compromise of 1850
Senator Henry Clay introduced a series of resolutions on January 29, 1850 an attempt to seek a compromise and advert a crisis between the north and south. As part of the compromise of 1850 the fugitive slave act was amended in the slave trade in Washington DC was abolished. -
Fugitive slave law
strict fugitive slave law persuaded Southerners to accept the loss of California to the abolitionist and free-soilers. anti-slavery Northerners resisted the law. the new law drove a wedge between North and South. Kept slaves on a tight lease. -
Uncle Tom’s cabin
Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote this book as a reaction to the tighten fugitive slave laws the book had major influence on how Americans viewed slavery published in 1852 -
“Bleeding Kansas” (Charles Sumner attacked)
A series of violent confrontations between 1854 in 1861 which came from a political and ideological debate over the legality of slavery in the proposed state of Kansas -
Kansas Nebraska act (popular sovereignty)
allowed those who lived in Kansas and Nebraska to decide for themselves whether or not to allow slavery within their state borders. served to repeal the Missouri compromise of 1820 which provided prohibited slavery north of the latitude 36*30’ -
LeCompton constitution
framed in Lecompton Kansas by southern pro slavery advocates of Kansas statehood contained clauses protecting slaveholding and a bill of rights excluding free blacks -
Dred Scott vs Sanford
The supreme court ruled that Americans of African dissent whether free or slave are not American citizens and could not sue in federal court the court also ruled that Congress lacked the power to ban slavery in US territories -
Lincoln-Douglas debates ( Great debate of 1858)
A series of 7 debate between Abraham Lincoln the republican candidate for Senate from Illinois and an incumbent Senator Stephen Douglas the democratic party candidate. at the time senators were elected by state legislators. although a free state they mainly talked about slavery at the debates. -
John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry
an effort by abolitionist John Brown to initiate an armed slave revolt in 1859 by taking over a US arsenal at Harpers Ferry Virginia John Brown’s party of 22 was defeated by a company of US Marines led by first lieutenant Israel Greene -
Election of 1860
despite minimal support in the south Abraham Lincoln won the popular vote. this was the first of six consecutive victories for the Republican Party -
Crittenden compromise
An unsuccessful proposal introduced by the US Senator John J Crittenden on December 18, 1860 it was an attempt to prevent the secession of the southern states and avoid the Civil War -
South Carolina seceded from the union
when the ordinance was adopted on December 20, 1860 South Carolina became the first slave state new south to declare that it had seceded from the United States due to sectionalism of slavery. -
Attack on fort Sumter
The bombardment of fort Sumter near Charleston South Carolina by the confederate states army and the return gun fire and subsequent surrender by the US Army that started the Civil War.