The Missouri Compromise of 1820

The Missouri Compromise of1820 The debate would be whether Missouri would be added as a free or slave state. Missouri was added as a slave state. Maine was added as a free state. There remained a balance of free and slave states in Congress. The Missouri Compromise line was drawn to settle future disputes over whether new states would be free or slave.

Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Underground Railroad Secret network that helped guide some 100,000 fugitive slaves to freedom between 1780-1865 Fugitive Slave Law prohibited abolitionists from assisting runaway slaves and forced slaves to be returned to their slave masters

Underground Railroad and the Fugitive Slave Northerners were upset that they were required by law to be “slave catchers”. Southerners were upset that the Northerners were not only doing nothing to help Southerners retrieve their property, but were actually taking part in “stealing” it.

Mexican Cession Land acquired in the War with Mexico Would slavery be allowed to spread into this new territory?

The Compromise of 1850

The Compromise of 1850 California would be admitted into the union as a free state. Congress would outlaw the slave trade in Washington DC, our countries capital. Congress would strengthen the fugitive slave law. Land gained from Mexico would be given “POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY” – the right to vote whether to allow slavery or not.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Uncle Tom’s Cabin is a story about a slave named Tom and his transition through three different plantations. The novel deeply divided the nation into pro- and anti-slavery forces.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe Northerners were outraged to read about the horrible institution of slavery. Southerners claimed that the book was an exaggerated and fabricated story.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act “Bleeding Kansas”

The Kansas-Nebraska Act “Bleeding Kansas” The Kansas and Nebraska territory was given popular sovereignty. Pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces rushed to the area to influence voters. A famous, radical abolitionist named John Brown and his crew murdered several pro-slavery protestors.

Dred Scott Case 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 and therefore could not sue in federal court. The court also ruled that the Federal government did not have the power to prohibit slavery in its territories. Scott, needless to say, remained a slave.

Dred Scott Case The Supreme Court’s decision demonstrated that the Missouri Compromise and Compromise of 1850 were unconstitutional agreements. The ruling justified slavery and confirmed that slaves were nothing but property.

John Brown John Brown was a white abolitionist who led two famous acts of violence against slavery. Like Nat Turner, Brown was religiously convicted and believed that God had called him to free the slaves by eliminating all the pro-slavery people he could find. In 1856, he and four of his sons led a raid on proslavery settlers in Potawatomie, Kansas, killing five of the settlers.

John Brown In 1859, Brown and seventeen followers raided and captured a federal arsenal (a place where military weapons are stored) at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia with the intentions of gaining enough weapons to go on a rampage killing every pro-slaver that they saw. Brown and his followers were surrounded by federal troops at the arsenal. Several men were killed, including two of John Brown’s sons. Brown was taken to prison, tried for treason, found guilty, and hanged. Many people thought John Brown died a hero.

Election of 1860

Election of 1860 Democrats believed that Lincoln had an agenda to abolish slavery since he had declared that it was “immoral” and the nation would not be able to remain “half free and half slave”. Democrats were appalled that Lincoln was able to win despite not even being on the ballot in many southern states.

South Carolina Secedes In 1860, South Carolina became the first state to secede from the United States. As more states followed suit and the Confederate States of America took shape, many federal installations in the South were taken over by state governments.

Attack on Fort Sumter Fort Sumter, in the harbor of Charleston, South Carolina, continued to fly the U.S. flag, even as Confederate forces surrounded it. Lincoln decided to resupply the fort but not reinforce it, unless resistance was met.

Attack on Fort Sumter After negotiations failed, the first shot was fired on April 12, 1861, in a bombardment that resulted in the fort's surrender. With that shot, the Civil War began.