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Uncle Toms Cabin
Uncle Tom's Cabin was a well-known book published in 1853 which emphasized and highlighted the horrors of slavery. This book inspired many people to try and stop the spread of slavery and increased the tension between the anti-slavery people and the abolitionists. -
Republican Party
After the Kansas-Nebraska act was passed the republican party was soon created in order to try and prevent the expansion of slavery. This creates more tension between the pro-slavery people and the abolitionist. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
After the Mexican-American war, The United States gained more territories and was conflicted on what to do with their new lands, and the expansion of slavery. So the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed which took away the Missouri compromise line, created two new territories, and allowed the new states to act with popular sovereignty. Overall increased tensions between the North and south. -
Bloody Kansas (1855-1861)
Bleeding Kansas was the time period when there were violent incidents between pro-slavery and anti-slavery people in Kansas. The reason for the people fighting was because since popular sovereignty was choosing whether or not the state was a free state or slave state, both groups of people wanted the state to be in favor of their ideals, so they all rushed into Kansa in preset to sway the votes. -
John Brown
John Brown was an abolitionist that did not support slavery and fought against the idea do slavery. He was involved in some violence that happened in Kansas and attempted to start a slave rebellion at Harpers Ferry. He was later imprisoned and executed for his involvement in the raid. -
The election of 1856
The election of 1856 was an election between James Buchanan, John Fremont, and Millard Fillmore. This election was very intense and emphasized how divided the nation was based on their votes and ideals. For this election, James Buchanan won. This increased tensions between the groups of people. -
Brooks-Sumner incident
The Brooks Sumner incident was when republican senator Charles Sumner was giving a speech and in some way offended Preston Brooks and Brooks started beating Sumner with a cane. This event emphasized just how divided the nation was. -
Dred Scott
Dred Scott was a slave that sued his owner for his freedom. The case was fought over whether or not Dred Scott was considered a citizen if he had the right to utilize courts if Scott was considered a free man while on free territory, and whether the Missouri compromise was constitutional. Overall the Supreme Court ruled that Scott was not considered a citizen that the Missouri comprise was unconstitutional, and that congress cannot prevent the expansion of slavery. -
House-Divided Speech
The house divided speech was given by Abraham Lincoln before he was to become President. He basically said that the Dred Scott decision made by the court made it possible for slavery to be extended anywhere and that the United States should act now to prevent the spread before it’s too late. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
These debates lifted the ban of slavery that was put down for the Missouri compromise, but during this debate Douglas expressed how he favored the idea of popular sovereignty. Also, Abraham asked if there was any way to prevent the expansion of slavery and Douglas said yes by using popular sovereignty, if the people voted for representatives that didn’t make laws to protect slavery then slavery would not exist. Again this debt increases tensions between the two groups. -
Hapers Ferry
The raid of harpers ferry was led by the abolitionist John Brown who planned to raid the federal armory and create a revolt of enslaved people in order to end slavery. This Incident caused many disputes and disagreements, like the political cartoons, and increased the division between the people. -
LeCompton Constitution
The Lecompton Constitution was written for the state of Kansas. During the constitutional convention, the majority was pro-slavery people and they had more of a say in what was written in the constitution. It stated that no free African Americans could enter the state and protected the rights of slave owners. This created a big issue between the people and the issue of slavery. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 was another divided election and emphasized how divided the nation was; it shows how the political parties that were rising had impacted the election. For this election president, Abraham Lincoln won who was a republican and an abolitionist. This election once again increased the tensions between the north and the south. -
Secession
This is the time period when states were beginning to leave the union because they believed that the Republican party would try and abolish slavery. The first state to leave the union was South Carolina. After this, it was Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. -
Abraham Lincoln First Inaugural Address
Abraham Lincoln's inaugural address was basically to reassure the people that their rights are not being denied, to try and keep the union together, and to try and prevent secession. This was one of the last attempts to maintain peace within the union.