1. The Road to the Civil War…
The Rocky 1850’s

2. The Rocky 1850’s California Issue – became a state rapidly (Gold Rush)
Free or Slave?
Most of California is below 36 30”, so should be a slave state
California’s constitution forbids slavery, upsets Southerners

3. The Rocky 1850’s Compromise of 1850 – Henry Clay
North – California is a free state!
South – harsher fugitive slave law (no trial by jury, imprisonment of people helping slaves)!
Both sides – popular sovereignty for new territories

4. The Rocky 1850’s
Underground Railroad – resistance movement to help runaway slaves
Harriet Tubman – Great Conductor
National Geographic Underground Railroad Adventure

5. The Rocky 1850’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin – written by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Slavery was WRONG!
Abe Lincoln – “So you’re the little lady that started this war.”

6. The Rocky 1850’s Slavery issue raised again!
Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 – divide area in to two territories – Kansas and Nebraska
Popular Sovereignty for both territories; Missouri Compromise would have to be repealed
People flood both territories trying to get enough people to have a vote

7. The Rocky 1850’s
Violence erupts as people from pro-slavery Missouri flood into Kansas and vote illegally; helping Kansas to be a “slave state”
Kansas becomes known as “Bleeding Kansas”
New Territories Since 1820

8. The Rocky 1850’s
Dred Scott case – slave from Missouri, moves to Illinois with master for four years, later returns to Missouri with master and master dies
Scott claimed he had become free by living in free territory for years

9. The Rocky 1850’s
Takes case to court – starts in 1846, 11 year struggle
Supreme Court ruled against Scott, said that slaves did not have rights, he was not free, and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional
North was stunned, South was ecstatic…divided the country even more!