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Abolitionism
Beginning in the North, adherents believed that slavery was morally wrong rather than simply a social evil. Abolitionists ranged from those who thought that all slaves should be freed immediately to those calling for gradual emancipation , to those who simply wanted to stop the spread of slavery and its influence. This lead to the controversy over wether or not slavery should be legal or not throughout the entire United States. -
Fugitive Slave Acts
These were a pair of federal laws that allowed for the capture and return of runaway slaves throughoutbthe entire U.S. Territory. This later on brought contreversy when it was made legal for slaves to become free if they escaped to the North. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin
This was an anti-slavery nover that was first published in an anti-slavery newspaper in 1851 and was later on made into a book in 1852. This book displayed the evil side to slavery, and showed a different perspective of slavery that many across the nation did not have, leading to a wave of anti-slavery across the nation. -
Formation Of The Republican Party
Following the compromise of 1850 and the crisis in Kansas, the nation's two major parties, the Whigs and Democrats, began to fracture along regional lines. Most parties from the north, wich were mostly anti-slavery, soon formed into one political party. the Republicans. Because the new president was republican, many southerners feared that slavery would now be abolished. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This Act went against the agreement in the Missouri Compromise to use latitude as the boundary between free and slave territory, and instead decided to use the principal of popular sovereignty, in wich the people would decide wether or not this territory would be free or not. this later on lead to Bleeding Kansas. -
Bleeding Kansas
This was a time period of violent conflict between wether or not Kansas should become a free or a slave state after the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Between 1854 and 1861. 56 people from both sides of the discussion were killed in various conflicts. This ended the hopes of resolving the issue of slavery in a peaceful manner later on leading to the Civil War. -
John Brown
John Brown led various revolts against slavery, and i attempts of abolishng slavery. His attacks were very violent. He led most of the abolitionists against those who were for slavery during Bleeding Kansas and also led the rebolt in Harpers Ferry Raid. His attacks decreased the chances of solving the slavery issue in a peaceful manner. -
The Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott's case decision made in the Supreme Court denied him citizenship, and declared that anyone who had African blood, could not become a U.S. citizen. This overturned the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which had restricted slavery in certain U.S. territories. -
Harpers Ferry Raid
Abolitionist, John Brown, lead a small group on a raid against a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, in an attempt to start an armed slave revolt and destroy the institution of slavery. Like Bleeding Kansas, this event decrased the likelyhood of solving the slavery issue in a peaceful manner. -
Election Of Abraham Lincoln
With the entry of the new Republican party, which was mostly made up of those who opposed slavery, Southerners feared that slavery would be abolished even though Lincoln had no means to abolish it, only to keep it from expanding.
