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Missouri Compromise
It was an effort by congress to defuse the political argument between the South and North. At the time there were 22 states evenly split between North and South. In 1819 there were disagreements about who would get the territory of Missouri. So what they did was basically split the USA in half by the 30 degree line. This line represented the line between slavery and antislavery states. Also Missouri was added as a slave state and Main was split from Massachusetts as a free state. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was already an argument before the Mexican war had ended. It was a bill to ban slavery in all of the mexican cession territory. This bill passed in congress but not in the Senate. This bill angered the southerners because they saw it as an attack by the North to completely end slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 was introduced by Henry Clay. It was a set of laws/rules that were made to keep peace in the USA. First California would be admitted into the union as a free state. The new territories would decide on if they should have slavery by the way popular sovereignty. Also congress would pass new slave laws which made for stricter fugitive slave laws and Texas would give up its claims of New Mexico for 10 million dollars. Also the act of trading slaves was banned in Washington. -
Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave act was put in place when the Compromise of 1850 happened. It was a series of laws that restricted the slaves even more. It was also a law that every black could be accused of being a slave. That also meant that they had no right to trial. It also meant that northerners were required to help capture runaway slaves. This act further infuriated the northern abolitionists. -
Uncle Toms Cabin
This novel was written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, the daughter of a abolitionist who was deeply affected by The Slave Laws. The novel was about a slave and his cruel owner. It showed people in the north how bad slavery was and how bad the people around it were. The south just passed it over saying that it was false. After the book was published Harriet got to meet the president who was at the time Abraham Lincoln. He was quoted,” So you're the little woman that started this war.” -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas Nebraska Act was put in place so that the people in the states could vote on whether or not they wanted slavery. This was supported by both sides because they thought they would win this battle and have more free or slave states. Back when this happened the two sides both bribed people to move into kansas so that they could win. Bleeding Kansas was where there was little violence. -
Beginning of Bleeding Kansas
Some of the little violence spread to the senate. Here an abolitionist spoke out against a pro slavery senator. After the senator's nephew beat him till he was unconscious. -
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Bleeding Kansas
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Dred Scott Case
The slave Dred Scott sued for his freedom on the grounds that he had lived with his master in a free state. The case was delayed for 10 years. When it was finally heard the supreme court turned it down because Dred Scott wasn’t a U.S. citizen. They also ruled that living in a state didn’t make him free, partially invalidating the concept of free states, because slaves were property protected by the constitution. -
First Lincoln Douglas debate
They were a series of debates held between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. The goal was to gain support and seats in congress for their party and themselves. There were seven debates held across Illinois. Douglas was the “winner” because the democrats got the majority of seats and he also got a seat in the senate. -
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Lincoln Douglas debates
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Beginning of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry
John Brown, a northern abolitionist lead an attack on the armory in Harper’s Ferry. He hoped slaves and abolitionist would join him and rise up in revolt. He was captured by Robert E Lee and was convicted of murder and treason. Many abolitionist disliked him for being too violent -
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John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry
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Lincoln's election
Due to a split in the democrat party Abraham Lincoln, a republican was able to win the election. He won with only 40% of the popular vote. Because of his anti-slavery beliefs his election lead to the secession of the southern states. Lincoln ran against Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge, and John Bell. -
First state secession
Every event prior to this had been escalating tensions but the election of Lincoln finally made the southern states secede. The first states to secede was South Carolina which had frequently threatened to secede but still hadn’t. The 11 states that seceded were South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee in this order. Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Tennessee seceded after the surrender of fort Sumter. -
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States secede
