Lead up to the Civil War

  • The Missouri Compromise

    The Missouri Compromise
    When Missouri came up for statehood. Congress, faced a problem. The number of slave states and free states were balanced. Missouri wanted to become a slave state. This made the compromise where Missouri was added as a slave state along with Maine as a free state. They also determined that the states under the 36th parallel would be a slave state and vice-versa. This just stretched out the inevitable of having to deal with slavery.
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    Pre-Civil War

  • Wilmot Proviso

    Wilmot Proviso
    The Wilmot Proviso is where the territory that the US got from the Mexican-American war would not allow slavery. The Wilmot Proviso was an idea from David Wilmot. This proposal split congress. Sadly, the Wilmot Proviso was blocked by the south-dominating senate. Luckily it did raise questions over the ideology of slavery. Congress would continue to debate slavery in the South West.
  • Zachary Taylor went into office.

    Zachary Taylor went into office.
    Zachary Taylor worked very hard to preserve the Union by promoting nationalism. However, he couldn't do much because of his death shortly after he went into evidence.
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    Zachary Taylor

    Zachary Taylor worked very hard to preserve the Union by promoting nationalism. However, he couldn't do much because of his death shortly after he went into evidence.
  • Millard Fillmore went into office.

    Millard Fillmore went into office.
    Millard Fillmore signed the Compromise of 1850 which heightened tensions between the North and the South even more.
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    Millard Fillmore

    Millard Fillmore signed the Compromise of 1850 which heightened tensions between the North and the South even more.
  • Compromise of 1850

    Compromise of 1850
    Henry Clay made the Compromise of 1850. The Compromise of 1850 was a series of 5 bills. The major parts of the compromise were: 1)It made California a free state (to avoid the debate on how the 36th parallel cut California right in half). 2)The Utah and New Mexico Territory were allowed to vote on whether new states would be slave states or not. 3)It banned the Slave Trade in Washington DC. 4)The Fugitive Slave Act was put in place (more on that later). This made both sides unhappy.
  • Uncle Tom's Cabin

    Uncle Tom's Cabin
    Uncle Tom's Cabin, by Harriet Beecher Stowe, was the number one novel in the 1800's. It was banned in the South making it even more popular. There were more Uncle Tom's Cabin sold in Great Britain then in the US. Abraham Lincoln called her "the little woman who wrote the book to create a big war". The reason it's called Uncle Tom's Cabin is because it talks about Tom who is a slave that was sold. This impacted history by allowing people to understand the torture of slavery.
  • Benjamin Franklin Pierce went into office.

    Benjamin Franklin Pierce went into office.
    Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska act which made the North and the South become more violent between one another.
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    Benjamin Franklin Pierce

    Franklin Pierce signed the Kansas-Nebraska act which made the North and the South become more violent between one another.
  • Creation Of The Republican Party

    Creation Of The Republican Party
    In Ripon, Wisconsin, former members of the Whig Party meet to establish a new party to oppose the spread of slavery into the western territories. Abe Lincoln was the first to run as a republican. This impacted the history of our country greatly, and the party still lives today.
  • Kansas Nebraska Act / Bleeding Kansas

    Kansas Nebraska Act / Bleeding Kansas
    The Kansas Nebraska Act allowed the territories of Kansas and Nebraska vote for themselves whether they would be a slave state or a free state. It also repealed the the Missouri Compromise in which states under the 36th parallel would be a slave state. This made a lot of people move to Kansas so they could make Kansas either a slave state or a free state. With both sides so close, violence soon broke out and the anti-slavery side was led by John Brown who is considered a terrorist.
  • Sumner Caning

    Sumner Caning
    Charles Sumner gave a speech denouncing slavery while humiliating pro-slavery advocates. The speech also insulted the Senator Andrew Butler. Representative Preston Brooks did not like his speech. After the Senate had adjourned, Brooks went up to Sumner and started hitting him with a cane. This made violence enter in the "civilized" congress and made the people stop being civil.
  • James Buchanan went into office.

    James Buchanan went into office.
    James Buchanan contributed by declaring that what every the Supreme Court declared with the Dred-Scott case, that would be his position. Also, Buchanan really did nothing to deal with the incoming Civil War.
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    James Buchanan

    James Buchanan contributed by declaring that what every the Supreme Court declared with the Dred-Scott case, that would be his position. Also, Buchanan really did nothing to deal with the incoming Civil War.
  • The Dred Scott Case

    The Dred Scott Case
    The Dred Scott case was where a slave moved with his master to a free state. When the master had to move back to Missouri (a slave state), Dred Scott argued that because he lived in a free state for such a long time, he was entitled to be free and brought this case before the court. The court ruled that no black man could be a US citizen. This ruling would anger abolitionists and divide the country even more.
  • Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

    Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
    The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 was a part of the Compromise of 1850. The act made all slaves that escaped their owners and were captured had to go back to their owners; even if they were living in a free state. The act made a lot of bounty hunters hunt down black men regardless if they were free or not. This made the north very angry.
  • Lincoln-Douglas Debate

    Lincoln-Douglas Debate
    There were 7 debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas, both debating over a seat in the Senate. The main issue of the debates was Slavery. Especially the issue of slavery expansion into the new territories. The debates were like nothing that you would see now. The audience would shout questions and laugh at funny things. These debates impacted history because it shows Lincoln's viewpoints on slavery, so when he became president, the South knew what he was going to do and they seceded.
  • Harper's Ferry

    Harper's Ferry
    This was a raid on the United States arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. This attack on this arsenal was lead by John Brown, a abolitionist and 21 people accompanied him. He had tried to convince Frederick Douglass to come with him, but Douglass, being smart, realized this was a suicide mission. The goal was that as soon as they took the arsenal, slaves would come running out of the forest to help them revolt. Sadly, this did not happen. The US army defeated him, and he was hanged.
  • Lincoln's Election Of 1860

    Lincoln's Election Of 1860
    Abe Lincoln was elected POTUS on November 6th, 1860. He ran as the first republican ever. He only received 40% of the popular vote, but because of the electoral collage, he won easily. Because he did not stand for slavery, this made the south very mad. This impacted history greaty because it lead to the southern states leaving the union, and then Abe became a national hero.
  • Southern Secession

    Southern Secession
    Starting in December 20 and extending to June 8, 11 Southern states seceded from the nation.The reason that South Carolina and the other southern states seceded was because Abraham Lincoln become the President. The South knew that he was a anti-slavery person and that even if he promised not to take away their slaves that eventually he would. This is an important part in history because it was basically the start to the Civil war, the bloodiest war the US has had.