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The Missouri Compromise
There was a law by Congress stating that there couldn’t be slavery above the 36° 30° latitude line. Missouri is above that line and it was considered a slave state. Because Missouri wanted to be a slave state, Congress made an exception for Missouri stating that they could be a slave state. They also admitted Maine into the Union to balance the amount of slave states to free states. -
Wilmot Proviso
The Wilmot Proviso was a bill about how representative David Wilmot proposed a way to fund newly gained territories. It was also about how there was not allowed to be slavery in any new state that was gained from Mexico as a result of the Mexican-American war. It was passed through the House of Representatives but not by the Senate. It did not become a law but it did divide the Democratic Party and the nation on the issue of slavery. -
The Compromise of 1850
Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 which were a series of laws that were meant to solve the controversy over slavery. The North was against slavery and thought it was wrong and wanted it to be abolished. The South wanted to keep slavery in all states. The bitterness between the North and South caused all attempts to fail. Congress would admit California as a free state. -
The Compromise of 1850 (continued)
The slave trade-but not slavery- would be ended in Washington D.C. Congress would pass a strict new fugitive slave law. Texas would give up it’s claims to New Mexico in return for $10 million. It was introduced by Henry Clay. -
Fugitive Slave Act
It was a law where anyone that was accused of being a runaway slave (real or not) they could be arrested. It was a part of the Compromise of 1850. IT prevented the southern slaveholders from northern free-soilers. It was one of the most controversial laws of the early 19th century. The Northern states passed legislation to try and protect slaves. It was repealed in 1864 in Congress. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was about an enslaved man who is abused by his cruel owner. It was a true book about what really happens and what it is like to be a slave. Harriet Beecher Stowe interviewed real slaves to get accurate descriptions about everything. It made people in the North realize how bad it really was and they wanted to fight for and end to it. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin
The slave owners in the South said that the book was just a bunch of lies to try and end it. It was thought to be the book that started the civil war. -
Bleeding Kansas
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Bleeding Kansas
It allowed the people in the territories to decide the slavery issue by popular sovereignty. The North and South were divided by the act. The Southerners supported the act. They wanted the new territory to become slave states. The Northerners were angry with it. They had felt that Douglas had let them down and betrayed them when he allowed more slave states. It was signed into law by President Franklin Pierce. Both sides moved immediately into Kansas. They wanted have a majority vote on slavery. -
Dred Scott Case
He also said that Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in any territory. With that news the southerners were happy because now slavery was legal in all territories while the northerners wanted slavery to die out. -
Dred Scott Case
This was a court case where a slave named Dred Scott sued for his freedom. He lived in two places where slavery was illegal so he wanted to argue that it meant he was a free man. The decisions written by Chief Justice Roger B. Taney were that Scott could not sue because he was a slave which made him not a U.S. citizen, Living in a free state did not make Scott free, and that slaves are property protected by the Constitution. -
Lincoln Douglas Debate
Stephen Douglas believed that the individual states should decide whether or not to continue the practice of slavery and that Lincoln wants the same rights for African Americans that whites have. Although Douglas won the election, Lincoln was now a national figure and later they both went against each other to become President. -
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Lincoln Douglas Debate
This was about how Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas had many debates over their political views and tried to have as many people on their side. Abraham Lincoln believed that slavery was wrong and it should not spread. He also believed that African Americans were entitled to the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. -
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John Brown's Raid of Harper's Ferry
An abolitionist named John Brown created a group to help him stop slavery in the South. Instead, his group decided to attack Harper's Ferry in Virginia. They stole weapons from a federal arsenal and planned to have a slave revolt. He was captured by Robert E. Lee and was intended to be hung, but he made a speech about his actions and explained that the Bible told him to help the poor and enslaved. Like expected, the north and south responded unlike. The north praised him but the south didn't. -
The Election of 1860
Lincoln and Douglas were candidates running against each other. Lincoln for the Republican Party (like the one we have today) and Douglas for the Democratic Party (also like the one we have today). They always had these debate rallies that people went to and they were always heated. Lincoln, being and abolitionist, wanted to end slavery, which made him popular with the northerners. Douglas, being pro-slavery, made him popular with southerners. -
Southern Secession
The Confederacy had adopted a constitution and former Senator Jefferson Davis was chosen to be president. Lincoln wanted the Confederacy to return to the Union but the confederate states responded by taking over federal property within their borders. The Commander at Fort Sumter did not surrender to the Confederates and Lincoln did not send troops because he did not want other states to secede. In April, Confederates attacked Fort Sumter and it started the Civil war. -
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Southern Secession
It started when Abraham Lincoln became president. They were worried that there way of life would be changed so much and that slavery would be ended. They also felt that the President and Congress were against their interests. The south had created the Confederate States of America. South Carolina was the first state to secede and six others followed. Some southerners did not to secede but their voices were overlooked. -
John Brow's Raid on Harper's Ferry
