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Wimot Proviso
This bill aimed to outlaw slavery in territories taken from Mexico. The bill passed in the House of Representatives but was defeated in the senate thus causing a division in Congress. Although, not a success it led to the formation of the Free Soil Party. -
Compromise of 1850
Divisions over slavery in territory gained in the Mexican-American . War were resolved in the Compromise of 1850. It consisted of laws admitting California as a free state, creating Utah and New Mexico territories with the question of slavery in each to be determined by popular sovereignty, settling a Texas-New Mexico boundary dispute in the former’s favor, ending the slave trade in Washington, D.C., fugitive slaves. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act allowed settlers of a territory to decide whether slavery would be allowed in the new states borders.Conflicts arose between anti-slavery and pro-slavery settlers which lead to the event known as the bleeding kansas. -
Bleeding Kansas
Proslavery and antislavery settlers went into the Kansas Territory just west of Missouri, to vote for the territorial legislature. Proslavery settlers outnumbered antislavery settlers but they didnt want to take that risk. Five thousand Missourians came and voted in the election illegally. So then Antislavery settlers boycotted the official government and formed one of their own. Mobs attacked the town of Lawrence, kansas and many more. this continued for three years and the territory came -
Caning of Sumner
Sumner which was an abolitionist was talking about the evils of slavery. Preston S Brooks which greatly disagreed with sumner took out a walking stick and started to beat him. Sumner was so shocked that he didnt defend himself.Even though he got beat very hard he survived. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford
The Dred Scott case made evreything worse with the country already splitting apart. Scott was a slave in Missouri and his owner took him to a state where slavery was illegal. When he returned to missouri he sued for his freedom. He said since he had lived in a antislavery state he should be free. This case reached the Supreme court.They said that scott isnt a citizen so he cant sue in the U.S courts. In addition they said the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional. -
Attack on Harpers Ferry
John Brown wanted to inspire slaves to fight for their freedom. In order to do this he planned to capture the weapons in the U.S arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown captured the arsenal then sent out the word to rally and arm local slaves.But no slaves joined the fight and the U.S Marines attacked Brown and his followers.Brown was tried for murder and treason and he was sentenced to be hanged. Southerners were enraged by Browns actions. -
Election of 1860
Lincoln and Douglas were the only with much support in the North.Breckinridge and Bell competed for southern votes. Lincoln did not want slavery to expand while Breckinridge said that the federal government should protect slavery in any territory. Lincoln won because the North had more people in it than the south. Lincolln said that he would do nothing to abolish slavery in the south but southerners did not trust him. They eventually seceded from the union and formed a new country.