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Underground Railroad (RED)
This was made to help slaves in their escape to freedom. There were multiple secret routes and safe houses along the way until the people reached freedom. Former runaway slaves and free-born African Americans and abolitionists ran this undercover operation. The estimated number of slaves that escaped to safety and freedom is around 100,000. (Harriet Tubman) -
Missouri Compromise 1820 (PURPLE)
The point was to try and keep the balance of power between slave and free states by admitting Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. To prevent arguments about the Louisiana Territory, an imaginary line (Mason-Dixon Line) was drawn at the southern boundary of Missouri and stated any new state north of the line was free and any states south of the line was a slave state. Thomas Jefferson predicted this division would lead to the end of the Union. -
The Missouri Crisis (RED)
Tensions began to rise between pro-slavery and antislavery factions across the US and in Congress. When Missouri requested to be admitted to the Union as a free state, the balance between free and slave states was threatened. To keep the peace the Missouri Compromise of 1820 was established. (1817-1820) -
William Garrison Publishes The Liberator (RED)
This was an abolitionist newspaper printed for anti-slavery founded by Wiliam Garrison. -
Nat Turner's Slave Revolt (Southampton Insurrection) (RED)
This was a slave rebellion that took place in Southampton County, Virginia during August of 1831. Nat Turner led rebel slaves in a revolt that killed from 55 to 65 people, which was the highest number of deaths caused by a slave uprising in the Southern states. Turner believed he had been chosen by God to lead slaves away from slavery. This led to a new wave of oppressive government forbidding the movement, assembly, and education of slaves. -
Texas Annexation of 1844 (RED)
After being taken over by a bunch of Spaniards, Texas was successful in their independence and requested annexation soon after the US recognized the Texas Republic on March 3, 1837. The South supported this annexation but the North was against it. Texas would become another slave state if the annexation was upheld. -
The Wilmot Proviso (RED)
This proposed a law to ban slavery in territories that came from Mexico in the Mexican War. -
Compromise of 1850 (RED)
A series of laws that attempted to resolve the conflict between northern and southern states - California was admitted as a free state. New Mexico and Utah were able to decide their own slavery laws (popular sovereignty) while the slave trade was abolished in DC. The Fugitive Slave Law was also passed and neither side was satisfied completely. -
Fugitive Slave Law (RED)
Law created from the Compromise of 1850. This law declared that all runaway slaves be returned to their masters regardless of the legality of slavery in that specific state. This was nicknamed the "Bloodhound Law" by abolitionists because dogs were used to hunt down runaway slaves. -
Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
This novel illustrated slavery's effect on families. Women were attracted to the novel and they empathized with the slaves. This novel contributed to the outbreak of the civil war because it made the economic and political debates about slavery personal. Some who supported the novel thought that it was not written strongly enough to end slavery immediately, but others praised the book for making the slaves "human". It helped the public understand and empathize with the enslaved mothers. -
Formation of the Republican Party (BLUE)
The Kansas-Nebraska Bill in 1854 discontinued the Missouri Compromise and allowed for new territories to decide whether they were to be free or slaves states based on popular sovereignty. The Whig party was gone and the anti-slavery Whigs started to hold meetings; at the first meeting, they discussed forming a new party: the Republican Party. (Wisconsin) -
Kansas - Nebraska Act
This act was the creation of territories: Kansas and Nebraska; this act allowed settlers to decide whether to permit slavery (popular sovereignty). This angered the North because they believed the new territories should be free from slavery based on the Missouri Compromise (Mason-Dixon Line). However, the South argued that the Compromise of 1850 replaced the Missouri Compromise. This act set the stage for the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas (RED)
1854-1861; Kansas and Nebraska decided to vote whether or not they wanted slavery by popular sovereignty. Stephen Douglas came up with this idea. However, this caused pro-slavery and antislavery people to be killed. Some believe this was the first action of the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Supreme Court Decision (RED)
Dred Scott sued the Emersons because he claimed he was no longer a slave because the family had moved to a free state which made him and his family free people and not slaves. Missouri Supreme Court found they were not free based on state laws.The decision of the Supreme Court was that slave owners had the right to take their slaves into Western Territories and they would not end up being free because of it. This brought the questioning of whether or not there should be slavery in the West. -
Lincoln Douglas Debates (RED)
These were a series of debates between Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln. These debates mostly concerned the problem of slavery in the new territories. Even though the Compromise of 1850 provided temporary relief, the Kansas-Nebraska Act brought slavery in new territories to light again and made it a major concern. -
John Brown's Raid at Harper's Ferry
A white abolitionist, John Brown, started a slave revolt by taking over a US arsenal in Harper's Ferry. He wanted to destroy slavery and made further accomodations between the North and the South impossible. -
Election of 1860
In 1860, Republican Abraham Lincoln was elected as President of the USA. The south became angry because Lincoln wanted to abolish and ban slavery. This led to the succession of South Carolina (1st state to secede) from the Union and have other states follow to form the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as their president. North Carolina was the last state to secede.
