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Missouri Compromise
This new law split up the land from the Louisiana Purchase at the 36° 30' line. To the north of this line (not including MO), slavery was not allowed. To the south, slaves were permitted. -
War with Mexico
Driven by "manifest destiny", President Polk was determined to take over the lands of California, New Mexico, and Texas from Mexico. The war was then settled by the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, rewarding the US with new southern lands. -
Wilmont's Proviso
David Wilmont proposed a law to expel slavery in all new lands from Mexico. The southern senators blocked it in Congress, so the law was never passed. This casued the South to realize that if the North ever got more power, slavery would eventually come to an end. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act gave slave owners the ablility to pursue escaped slaves in the North. This made the North upset because they were now forced to return escaped slaves. Many alleged fugitive slaves (who were actually free) were taken back into slavery because the slaves did not have trial by jury. This caused over 20,000 blacks to flee to Canada. It also caused the peak of the Underground Railroad between 1850-1860. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise with the reasoning of "popular soverignty," which meant that the people could vote on the slavery issue for the state. Stephen Douglass was an extreme advocate for this Act because he wanted railroads to be built in Chicago. The Kansas-Nebraska Act caused extreme change to political parties, as the Whig party fell apart. -
Two-Party System
The two-party system virtually ended all North-South relations, and caused each party's candidates to become increasingly radical. -
Republican Party
Because the Whig party was no longer in exsistance, there were many people that did not belong to any party. These people shared similar beliefs, such as restriction of slavery. In Ripon, WI, the Republican party was born. This was essentially a declaration of war, as it threatened the Southern slavery advocates. -
Bleeding Kansas
Popular sovereignty in Kansas caused severe disorder. Slavery supporters from Missouri (known as "Border Ruffians") came to Kansas to defeat anti-slavery Northerners. This led to the death of hundreds of people. Also, the center of the anti-slavery movement (Lawrence) was attacked by pro-slavery Southerners, known as the Sack of Lawrence. -
Brooks beats Sumner
Congressman Preston Brooks (South Carolina) beat Senator Charles Sumner (Massachusetts) with a cane after Senator Sumner spoke out against slavery. This showed that even party leaders will go to extremes for what they believe in. -
Dred Scott
This was a Supreme Court Case which ruled that Congress could not restrict slavery anywhere in the country. This, therefore, nullified the Missouri Compromise and the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This caused thousands of Northerners to join the Republican Party. Also, the North tried to pack as many Republicans into the Supreme Court as possible. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin is a novel that portrays the extremely unethical and brutal treatment of African slaves in the South. This turned the North even more against the South. -
Freeport Doctrine
In the election of 1858, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had one of the most influential debates in history. Lincoln posed that "A house divided against itself cannot stand", meaning that the country must be all slavery or all free. Douglas, however, pushed for popular sovereignty, introducing the Freeport Doctrine. -
John Brown
Believing he was a "messanger from God", John Brown planned to lead a slave revolt at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. His plan,however, horribly failed, proven by the fact that only one person died in the revolt (a slave). Brown, however, was seen as a martyr in the North for his bravery. -
1860 Presidential Elections
The candidates for the presidency, Lincoln (anti-slavery Republican) and Breckinridge (pro-slavery S Democrat), had to strongly express their views on slavery in order to gain supporters. Lincoln won the election, due to his expression of the morality of slavery and his empathy towards the African slaves. -
Crittenden Compromise
This was seen as the last chance to save the Union. Otherwise, the only choices left would be to cecede from the Union or destroy the institution of slavery. The Missouri Compromise was put back into effect as a means of peace between the North and South. The Compromise, however, failed to attract widespread support, and the cause was lost. -
Fort Sumter
Eleven Southern states had ceded from the Union. In order to prevent resupply of ammunition, Southerners attacked Fort Sumter. This, however, did not trouble President Lincoln, as he stood strong in his attempt to keep the South in the Union. This caused four more states to cecede.
