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The Missouri Compromise
After the Louisiana purchas, a compromise was needed to settle the debate over whether the new territories would be slave states or free states. The Missouri Compromise claimed that the territory below the 36 30 lattitude line would be allowed to have slavery but anything above that line, with the EXCEPTION of Missouri, would prohibit slavery. This was significant because it was the first line to separate the free states and the slave states and was an attempt to balance the issue of slavery -
War with Mexico/Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
President James Polk had high interests in following "manifest destiny" to gain new land. With the want to take New Mexico, California, and part of Texas out of the hands of Mexico, Polk's War with Mexico began. To end the war, the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed giving American a large amount of new slave land below the 36/30 line. This was significant because Northerners were upset that now with the new land, the balance of slave and free territories were uneven, causing more debate. -
Wilmot's Proviso
David Wilmot, a congressman from Pennsylvania, attempted to ban all slavery from the land acquired from Mexico. This was called Wilmot's Proviso. The idea passed in the house, but the idea was never made into a law because the senate was controlled mainly by the south. Southerners became increasingly worried after the Wilmot Proviso that as soon as the north gained control of the senate, slavery would be abolished and southern economy would begin to fail. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 was the Fugitive Slave Act. This act forced all people, including abolitionists, to return all escaped slaves to their owners. If anyone failed to do so they would be jailed. This was awful for the free blacks from the North because they could be sent to the south without a trial by jury. Instead judges would decide whether or not they were a runaway slave. This was significant because it majorly upset the north, especially the abolitionists -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska Act ended the compromise of no slavery above the 36/30 line in the Louisiana Territory. The act presented the idea of Popular sovereignty which gave the people of all territories the ability to decide whether the territory be slave or free. This upset the north because it gave way for the expansion of slavery. This is also significant because it led to "Bleeding Kansas" and it destroyed the Whig party and divided Northern democrats, leading to a new political party. -
"Bleeding Kansas"
Bleeding Kansas was the result pro slavery citizens attempting to change anti slavery citizens from voting for kansas as a free state while abolitionsts were doing the opposite . It included hundreds of unnecessary murders over the issue of slavery. This is significant because it was the first fighting between pro-slavery and abolitionists. -
Breakdown of Two-Party System
The two-party system broke down when the democratic party started representing south more. This signified the end to any connections of working together between the North and the South. This forced people to really consider ending or extending slavery because the Republicans and Democrats ran against eachother and no other party. -
Republican Party
The Republican Party was established in Ripon, WI in effect to "Bleeding Kansas." Anti-Nebraska Democrats and Anti-Nebraska Whigs came together and formed the new party. The party was clearly supported by only the North and its main idea included restricting expansion of slavery into new land. -
Brooks Vs Sumner
Congressman Preston Brooks of South Carolina and Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusets initiated the idea that slavery was more than a BIG issue because respected congressmen began getting violent. After Sumner gave a speech attacking slavery and ripping on Butler, who was the uncle of Brooks, Brooks began beating Sumner repeatedly with his cane. The North was increasingly angry when the South encouraged the attack and viewed Brooks as a hero. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott case, which was ruled by a southern dominated supreme court, said that congress couldn't restrict slavery in any territories. The decision made not only the Missouri Compromise null and void, but also the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Northern abolitionists were outraged and began thinking that if southerners had the chance, they would legalize slavery everywhere..using their power in the senate and supreme court -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The anti-slavery novel depicted slavery in a way that upset not only the north but also the south. The North hated slavery even more after the book was published. the South was pissed because they were claiming slavery to be a positive-good and the book portrayed the oposite. -
Election of 1858
During the presidental election of 1858, the two candidates, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas argued two different things based on the idea of slavery. Douglas said America would be best off if we followed popular sovereignty. Lincoln argued that we need to make up our minds on whether we have slavery or we don't because its too big of an issue. He also said morally, it wasnt something our country could stand by. Lincoln won the election. -
John Brown
The South as well as the North were both bothered by the actions of abolitionist John Brown who thought God had sent him the message that he was to free all slaves. After his first slave revolt plan had failed south became increasingly scared of slave revolts. The South called him a villian where as the North thought of him as a hero -
1860 Presidential Election
During the election of 1860, president Lincoln (anti-slavery) beat out Breckinridge(pro-slavery) because of the North's greater population. After this election, the South had realized that the one thing the feared would happen, happened. The North who wanted to abolish slavery now had control of the Federal Government. -
Fort Sumner
Seven states in the lower south and four in the upper south had seceded from the union by February. With new president Lincoln as a strong supporter of abolishing slavery, he represented only have the country, the North. Southerners attacked Fort Sumner so that supplies wouldnt be coming back to there. This event signified that now there was no turning back, the war has come. -
The Crittenden Compromise
This was the last attempt to keep the balance in the Union which proposed that we go back to the basis of the Missouri Compromise. It would again, prohibit slavery above the 36/30 line and allow it below. The compromise didn't gain much attention nationally because paranoia among the North and South had run far too deep.
