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Mexican- American war
1846-1848
-The Union and Confederacy engaged in a war, with Union nationalists defending the U.S. Constitution and Confederate secessionists advocating for state rights to expand slavery. The war and treaty significantly expanded the United States' reach to the Pacific Ocean, offering it valuable ports, minerals, and natural resources for its growing nation. -
Wilmot Proviso
1846
- A proposal to ban slavery and make more free states from the states in Mexico. The Senate, divided equally between free and slave states, was unable to secure the necessary majority for approval. It was a significant legislation that permanently banned slavery and involuntary slavery in all territories during the Mexican American War. -
Compromise of 1850
1850
- Henry Clay and Stephen A. Douglas advocated for California's admission as a free state, the territorial status and popular sovereignty of Utah and New Mexico, the resolution of Texas-New Mexico boundaries, the abolishment of the slave trade in DC. It was significant as the compromise intensified national opposition to slavery, causing fear in the South and desire in the North, ultimately leading to South secession after Lincoln's presidency. -
The Jerry Rescue
1851
-In Syracuse, New York, abolitionists broke into the police station and freed William "Jerry" Henry, who had escaped slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 required "good citizens" to help those fleeing slavery, but these abolitionists refused to comply. It is significant as the Jerry Rescue, an antislavery triumph, became a significant part of the strategy by abolitionists in the region. -
Bleeding Kansas
1854-1859
- The Kansas state faced violent conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces, attempting to influence the decision on whether Kansas would be a slave or free state. It was a pivotal political event in the United States, causing the Civil War, as it marked the entry of Kansas into the Union as a free state. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
1854
-Senator Douglas proposed the Kansas/Nebraska Act, advocating popular sovereignty in Kansas and Nebraska territories for the construction of a transcontinental railroad. However, the act faced backlash due to extremes of slavery debate, fraud in constitution votes, and violence between pro and anti-slavery groups, leading to "Bleeding Kansas." -
Dred Scott Decision
1857
- A Missouri slave sued for his freedom, claiming his four-year stay in the Louisiana Territory, made free by the Missouri Compromise, granted him freedom. However, Dred Scott could not sue in federal court as he was property, not a citizen. It was a pivotal Supreme Court decision aimed at ensuring equal admission of slave and free states to the Union. -
Lecompton Constitution
1858
- The second of four proposed constitutions for the state of Kansas. Named for the city of Lecompton where it was drafted, it was strongly pro-slavery however it never went into effect. The bill included provisions for slaveholding and a bill of rights that excluded free blacks, contributing to the tensions that fueled the U.S. Civil War. -
Lincoln- Douglas Debates
1858
- Seven debates in Illinois involving Lincoln and Douglas centered around slavery, popular sovereignty, the Lecompton Constitution, and the Dred Scott decision. Lincoln's victory in the 1860 presidential election solidified his national prominence. It was important since Douglas campaigned for Illinois Senate seat which led to Lincoln's election as President. Despite losing, debates boosted Lincoln's national prominence. -
John Brown's Raid
1859
- The incident where John Brown and 20 of his men occupied an arsenal in Harper's Ferry. His plan was to arm slave states and support slave insurrections. The raid failed treason but became a martyr for anti-slavery and set slave owners into panic. It was important as this raid sparked the Civil War, causing significant destruction in Harpers Ferry, causing economic ruin and causing many to flee.