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Underground Railroad
Although the Underground Railroad was founded in the earlier 1800s, it was seen at it's prime during the 1850s. The Underground Railroad was a journey that runaway slaves would trek in order to get to safety in the North. These were usually led by conductors, so to speak (Harriet Tubman). At it's height, it let about 1,000 slaves be free every year. This escape was successful earlier on due to citizens of free states ingnoring the Fugitive Act of 1793, but the Compromise of 1850 changed things. -
Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot, who was a democratic congressman from Pennsylvania, proposed that the concepts and legality of slavery should be negated and prohibited in any territory that would be acquired by Mexico by any means. This proposal, which was eventually named the Wilmot Proviso, gained support from allies of the Whigs and Martin Van Buren in the House of Representatives. This however, was eventually pushed away by the senate. This conflict would be discussed again in the Dred Scott Case of 1856-57. -
Additions of Land After Mexican War
When the Mexican War ended, the United States received land masses from Mexico that ended up reducing the size of Mexico to under 800,000 square miles, which is less than half of what Mexico had before that war. The newly acquired land, which included the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, promoted and contributed to the overall spread of slavery to the west as Manifest Destiny continued. -
Free-Soil Movement
This political movement that was founded in the summer of 1848 after many ordinary northerners stated that they wanted to thwartc a "slave power" conspiracy and assist in defending republican liberties that the concepts of slavery threatened. This movement/party had a strong influence in representation in Congress, and it paved way for and eventual republican-led government that opposed the ideas of slavery. -
Compromise of 1850
A compromise proposed by Henry Clay, this proposed the organization of lands within the United States borders. More relevant to thesubject of slavery, the compromise stated that slave trade in the District of Columbia would be banned, and, most controversally, the Fugitive Slave Act would be passed. This assigned federal magistrates to return runaway slaves to their owners. Although the North would normally not be okay with this, they were happy enough with California becoming a free state. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin, which was written by a northern abolitionist named Harriet Beecher Stowe, was a book that takes place in the life of an African slave. This book was a significant contributer to the rise in numbers of abolitionists. By the late 1850s, the abolitionist numbers were in the hundreds of thousands. -
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Bleeding Kansas
After Kansas (Nebraska too) was to be put under the influence of popular sovereignty concerning slavery, pro-slavery settlers migrated to Kansas in hopes of good fortune and making Kansas a slave state. Conflicts arose between pro-slavery and nonslaveholders after slaveholders used up good land and left no oppertunity for nonslaveholders. Although violence between the two groups was unlikely, about 70 were killed. This gave reason to be a prelude to the Civil War. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott, who was an African American slave, had a case meant to begin to count all blacks who were free as citizens. This caused controversy to rise, because Scott himself was an enslaved black who was not considered to be a citizen. At the end of it all, is was determined that blacks, whether slaves or not, would never be considered citizens of the States. It was also stated that newly found states from that point on could not be abolished of slavery. -
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Lincoln-Douglas Debates
These were a series of political debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas during the campaign for an Illinois senate seat. Although Lincoln lost, his message propelled him into presidential candidacy. While Douglas was concerned for free and slave states, Lincoln quoted"A house divided against itself cannot stand," meaning the government will not endure slavery conflicts for long. This stance on slavery was partially responsible for his successful presidency (Emancipation). -
John Brown's Raid on Harper's Ferry
John Brown, a white abolitionist, led an attempted slave revolt by seizing an arsenal at Harper's Ferry, Virginia. Meant to spark a purge against slaveholders, the raid failed. Nearly a dozen of Brown's militia were shot and killed, while the remaining twelve either were captured or escaped. Brown was hung that December (which was witnessed by John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln's killer). His death was seen as a martyr to many, and the martyr was a cause for conflict between the north and south.
