-
Missouri Compromise
As the spread of slavery raged, the North and South began to get into heated arguments about how fast it was growing.
Henry Clay settles the issue by saying the Missouri would enter the union as a slave state and Maine would enter as a free state.
There were a series of laws that helped to keep the balance of free and slave states, these laws were all apart of the Missouri Compromise. -
The Nullification Crisis
The Vice President at the time was John C. Calhoun.
The North had tariffs that only benefited them, and the south felt that was unfair.
Calhoun said any state could nullify a law they deemed unconstitutional
South Carolina threatened to secede from the union when their argument against the tariffs was denied.
The Great Compromiser, Henry Clay, came up with another compromise that lowered the tariffs. -
Compromise of 1850
After the War with Mexico, there were many heated debates about how the territories would enter the union.
Once again, Henry Clay came up with surprisingly another compromise.
The compromise consisted of 3 major parts:
1. California would be admitted as a free state
2. The slave trade would be abolished in Washington D.C.
3. Congress could not make any laws about slavery in the rest of the territories. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This act was passed in the Compromise of 1850.
The act permitted the capture of slaves who had tried to escape and be sent back to the south.
This heightened the tension between North and South and created the stage for John Brown's raid the The Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas 1855
In 1855, nearly 5000 people voted illegally for Kansas to become a slave state.
Many anti-slavery people bean to create their own forms of government and refused to listen to the proslavery governments.
Soon after, many anti-slavery governments were attacked by proslavery forces.
The get revenge, abolitionist John Brown murdered many of his neighbors who supported slavery. -
Dred Scott Decision
A slave that once sued his former owner for his freedom was named Dred Scott.
The judge ruled that Dred Scott was in fact not a person, but PROPERTY.
He also stated that he could not be taken from his owner without due process of law. -
Attack on Harpers Ferry
Many slaves were inspired by abolitionist John Brown to fight for their freedom in Virginia.
The group attacked Harpers Ferry, the largest armory in the South.
During the raid, Brown and his accomplices were captured by the South.
The South believed he was nothing, but after his hanging, many abolitionists began to rally around his death.
This act, raised the tensions between the North and South past its breaking point. -
The Election of 1860
In 1860, Abraham Lincoln, a republican, ran for presidency and he won.
Shortly after, many Southern states began to secede from the union.
