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no slaves in great plans
Slavery had been prohibited in the Great Plains territories under the Missouri Compromise of 1820 -
Andrew jackson elected president
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slavery abolished in mexico
In 1829, the Mexican government abolished slavery in Texas -
the removal act
The Removal Act of 1830 guaranteed the Indians lands in the west, but these promises were later broken. -
California
Gold is discovered -
dred scott
Dred Scott first went to trial to sue for his freedom in 1847. Ten years later, after a decade of appeals and court reversals, his case was finally brought before the United States Supreme Court. In what is perhaps the most infamous case in its history, the court decided that all people of African ancestry -- slaves as well as those who were free -- could never become citizens of the United States -
fugitive slave act
The new Fugitive Slave Act, also passed in 1850, made the federal government responsible for apprehending fugitive slaves in the North, and sending them back to the South -
Kansas Nebraska
The Kansas-Nebraska act in 1854 brought antislavery and proslavery proponents head-to-head in a battle over the status of Kansas. -
Abraham uses dred scott case to his advantage
Abraham Lincoln used the Dred Scott case to launch his bid for the U.S. Senate on June 16, 1858. -
House divided
On June 16, 1858, at the Illinois Republican convention in Springfield, Abraham Lincoln kicked off his bid for the U.S. Senate with a speech that would come to be known as the "House Divided" speech.