The Missouri Compromise (1820) Henry Clay settles a dispute in congress between the North and South regarding the balance of slave and free states. The terms of the compromise concluded that the northern portion of Missouri would be a free state, and the southern section would be a slave state, the compromise also admitted Maine as a free state.
The South Carolina Nullification Crisis (1832-1833) John C. Calhoun leads South Carolina Politicians in nullifying a tariff on imports, POTUS Andrew Jackson wants to respond by sending in federal forces to force the new tariff, but instead Congress reduces the imposed tariff.
The Wilmot Proviso (1846) A law that would have gone through congress that would prohibit slavery in new territories captured from Mexico, but the South still persisted with the “complex constitutional issues” act, which caused congress to in turn, not pass the law. If the law had passed, it would have caused a severe change in the balance of power in congress between the North and South.
The Compromise of 1850 A series of resolutions written by Henry Clay on January 21, 1850 to appease two feuding politicians in congress, John. C Calhoun for the South, and Daniel Webster for the North. The terms of this resolution included the facts that California would be a free state, Utah, New Mexico will decide on their own whether or not to allow slavery. The dispute over Texas’ border was resolved and Texas received 10 million dollars, slave auctions illegal in D.C. And the Fugitive Slave Act becomes law in the North.
The Publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin (1851-52) American author Harriet Beecher Stowe publishes a book that bashed and showed the horrors of slavery in the South. The reaction in the North was strong and fierce with results such as the protest of the Fugitive Slave Acts. However the South found this as an attack on southern values.
The Kansas Nebraska Act (1854) Stephen A. Douglas proposes a bill that would repeal the Missouri Compromise and would divide the area into Nebraska in the North, and Kansas in the South. Northerners saw this bill as an excuse to expand the number of slave state. In May 1854 the bill passes through congress.
The Dred Scott Supreme Court Case (1857) A slave by the name of Dred Scott along with his his master cross over state lines into Illinois and settle down for four years. When his master passes away, Scott proclaims that he is free due to living in free territory for four years. On March 6, 1857 Supreme Court Justice Roger. B Taney claims that Scott is not free due to slaves not having the same rights as citizens.
Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1858) 7 open air debates between Democratic candidate Stephen Douglas and Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln. Douglas debated that states should decide whether or not to allow slavery, while Lincoln countered with his argument that slavery was an immoral labor system based on greed.
John Brown’s Raid on Harper’s Ferry (1859) On the night of October 16,1859 abolitionist John Brown leads 21 multiracial people to Harper's Ferry Federal Armory in what is now known as West Virginia. The plan was to hold the residents hostage and with the stolen guns give the local slaves a chance to rise up, this plan backfires. Local residents and forces led by Robert E. Lee kill Brown’s men and captures Brown. On December 2,1859 John Brown is hung from a tree for high treason.
The Election of Abraham Lincoln (1860) In May of 1860 John Bell nominates Abraham Lincoln as a candidate, Lincoln wins the election with 180 electoral votes, and 1,865,593 popular votes. Due to Lincoln winning, South Carolina leads ten other states (mostly in the South) to secede from the Union to for, the Confederacy.
