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Alamo
Following a thirteen-day siege, 5,000 troops attacked and killed 187 American and Tejano defenders at the Battle of the Alamo, which included Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and commander William Travis. This event resulted in the phrase "Remember The Alamo", becoming a battle cry. This battle resulted in the support of Texas to become a state. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a proposal to ban slavery in the territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican-American War. However, it was not passed in the senate, resulting in it being unsuccessful. Its significance included insight into anti-slavery positions and reopened slavery debates -
Gold Rush
The Gold Rush began when gold was found by James Marshall at Stutter's Mill in Coloma, California. This news brought 300,000 people to this site to look for more gold. It created a lasting impact by propelling industrial and agricultural development by shaping how California develops as a state. -
Free-Soil Movement
The Free-Soil movement resulted in the Free-Soil Party that lasted for six years before it merged into the Republican Party. Their main goal was to oppose the expansion of slavery into the western territories of America. This helped shape America into anti-slavery beliefs and beginning the civil war to put an end to slavery. -
Compromise Of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was a package of five separate bills passed that defused a political confrontation between slave and free states on the status of territories acquired in the Mexican–American War. This allowed America to expand its territory by allowing California to become a state. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act was part of the Compromise of 1850. This act required slaves to be returned to their owners, even if they were in a free state. This act also made the federal government responsible for finding and returning escaped slaves. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was an anti-slavery novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It had a profound effect on attitudes and beliefs towards African Americans and slavery in the United States. It is also said to have "helped lay the groundwork for the Civil War" -
Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a series of violent confrontations that emerged from a political and ideological debate over the legality of slavery in Kansas. Some argue that this was the ultimate staging ground for the civil war, as conflicts between slavery and anti-slavery movements battled for the first time. Abolitionists sent enough settlers to the Kansas Territory to make it a free state. -
Gadsden Purchase
The Gadsden Purchase was an agreement between the United States and Mexico to purchase a 3,000-mile square region that eventually became parts of Arizona and New Mexico. This transaction was controversial, and intensified the conflict over slavery that resulted in the civil war. -
Ostend Manifesto
The Ostend Manifesto was a document written in 1854 that described the rationale for the United States to purchase Cuba from Spain while implying that the U.S. should declare war if Spain refused. Annexing Cuba was a longtime goal for slaveholding expansionists. This caused uproar against anti-slavery groups that eventually led to the Civil War. -
Sumner-Brooks Incident
The Sumner-Brooks incident was an attack where Preston Brooks beat abolitionist and Senator Charles Sumner with a cane. This was due to his speeches that fiercely criticized slaveholders, including a relative of Brooks. This beating nearly killed Sumner and contributed significantly to America's polarization over slavery. -
Lecompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was one of the proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas. Drafted by pro-slavery advocates, it included provisions to protect slaveholding in the state and exclude free blacks from its bill of rights. This led to even more increased frictions that led to the civil war. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates were a series of debates between the two presidential candidates concerning the issue of slavery expansion. This series of debates transformed Lincoln into a national figure and led to his election. Lincoln was opposed to the expansion of slavery, while Douglas believed slavery should be decided by popular sovereignty. -
Raid On Harper's Ferry
John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry was an effort to initiate a slave revolt in southern states by taking over the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. The main goal was to ignite a nationwide uprising against slavery. -
South Carolina Secession
South Carolina was the first slave state in the south to declare its secession from the united states. The main cause was the failure of the northern states to uphold the fugitive slave act. This eventually led to the creation of the confederacy and the beginning of the civil war. -
Border States
Border States were slave states that did not secede from the union or join the Confederacy. They bordered both free and slave states, but were neither themselves. These included Deleware, Maryland, Kentucky, and Missouri. If they had joined the confederacy, their manufacturing abilities would have doubled. -
Manifest Destiny
Manifest Destiny was a widely held belief in the 19th century that settlers were destined to expand across America. It resulted in more money, land, resources, and a strengthened economy to Americans. A negative effect was how it caused war and tension with Mexico due to settling in a new land. -
Crittenden Compromise
The Crittenden Compromise was an unsuccessful proposal to permanently enshrine slavery, making it unconstitutional for congresses to end slavery. This was an attempt to prevent the secession of southern states and end the civil war. The main reason it failed was due to the fact it was too radical. -
Morill Tariff Act
The Morill Tariff Act was a generally forgotten law that taxed imports to the United States. It was said to be so unfair that it caused southern states to secede from the Union. -
Battle of Fort Sumter
The Battle of Fort Sumter was the bombardment of Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. The resulting surrender of the United States army resulted in the beginning of the civil war.
