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Nat Turner's Rebellion
In 1831, the Nat Turner's Rebellion happened in in Virginia where Nat Turner led many other black people to fight against slavery by killing whites who had slaves. This was significant because it was a symbol of black people coming together to fight against injustice even if it was in a violent way -
Importance of Cotton
In 1840, cotton was very important for America's economy. During this time the south provided the north and countries like Britain with cotton. This was significant because it gave slavery even more significance -
Manifest Destiny
In the 1840s-50s the idea of Manifest Destiny was a big idea in America. Many believed that their purpose was to expand American democracy all around the continent and this was what God wanted. This is significant because it showed how Americans believed they were entitled to own everything -
Mexican-American War
In 1846, the Mexican-American War began and it was all about America wanting to obtain California as their territory and Mexico opposing this. It ended in 1848 with the cession of Mexico -
California Gold Rush
In 1848, gold was discovered in California. This made thousands of people come into California looking for gold. This brought a lot of disease and violence which made the Californian government want to become a state. This is significant because it caused even more conflict between the south and the north on the issue of slavery -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
In 1854, congress passed the Kansas-Nebraska Act where it allowed these territories to choose to allow or not slavery. This Act repealed the Missouri Compromise of 1820 which forbade slavery north of latitude 36 30'. This was significant because it created a lot of conflict between the north and the south which eventually leads to the Civil War