Tensions Between the North and South (1816-1860)

Popular Sovereignty

Popular sovereignty in the Civil War gave the people living in a new territory the right to decide by vote whether or not slavery would be allowed.

Slavery

Slavery is a system in which some people are owned by other people. In this case, African Americans are victims of enforced servitude. Slavery is the root of tensions between the North and South.

John Brown Raid on Harper's Ferry (1859)

A group of abolitionists led by John Brown tried to take down a federal arsenal at Harper's Ferry Virginia, in an attempt to start a slave rebellion. Brown's attempt failed and he was sentenced to hang on December 2.

Beating of Senator Sumner (1856)

After an anti-slavery speech made by Senator Charles Sumner angered South Carolina representative Preston Brooks, he attacked Sumner with his cane until it broke in half. Southern supporters sent Brooks new canes to replace the one he broke by beating Sumner while Sumner took three years to recover from his injuries.

Andrew Jackson

Andrew Jackson was the 7th U.S. president and the "president for the common pan." He is the reason for the Indian removal act and the nullification crisis.

Anthony Burns Trial (1854)

As a result of the Fugitive Slave Law, a runaway slave named Anthony Burns was arrested in Boston. Abolitionists tried and failed to keep him from being returned to his owner.

Dred Scott Decision (1857)

Dred Scott was a slave whose owner took him from Missouri to free states Illinois and Wisconsin, where he lived for a long period of time. Scott tried to sue, saying that he should no longer be a slave since he lived on free soil for so long. He lost the case, being told that African Americans were not and could never be citizens of the United States.

Election of 1828

In this election, Andrew Jackson (Democrat) defeated John Q. Adams (National Republican), making him the 7th president of the united states. When Jackson won by a landslide, it established democracy and the formation of the two-party system.

Union and Confederacy

During the Civil War, the Northern states' army was called the Union and the Southern states' army was called the Confederates.

Fugitive

Fugitive slaves or runaway slaves were slaves who ran away from their masters and, if they were not caught, usually escaped to somewhere in the North where slavery is illegal.

Harriet Tubman

Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave and abolitionist, helped save approximately 70 enslaved people by using the Underground Railroad. This made her known for being the most famous "conductor"of the Underground Railroad. She was never caught and never lost a "passenger" on the railroad.

Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States was opposed to the expansion of slavery. Lincoln's victory of winning the election was the last straw for many southerners, leading to the Civil War. He issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the United States. He was assassinated at a Ford's Theatre on April 14, 1865.

The Tallmadge Amendment (1819)

New York Representative, James Tallmadge proposed an amendment that said Missouri could only join the Union as a free states. Southerners were upset, believing that the decision to be a free or slave state belonged to the people. This amendment did not pass.

Secession

Secession is a formal withdrawal of states from a nation such as the United States. After Abraham Lincoln won the election, many southern states decided to secede from the Union, creating the Confederacy.

American Civil War

The American Civil War was fought from 1861-1865 between North (union states) and South (confederate states) over slavery. The North won and succeeded in abolishing slavery.

Election of 1816

The Election of 1816 was a presidential election in which Democratic-Republican, James Monroe, won against Federalist, Rufus King.

The Gag Rule (1835)

The Gag Rule was a law passed by Southern congress in 1835 in which Congress did not hear any cases or petitions related to the establishment of slavery. It was repealed in 1844.

Kansas Nebraska Act (1854)

The Kansas Nebraska Act, passed by Congress in 1854, allowed the people in Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide if they wanted to be a slave or free state. This act repealed the Missouri Compromise which prohibited slavery north of the 36°30' latitude line, which led to a lot of violence in Kansas. This act also led to the creation of a new political party; The Republicans.

Lincoln Douglas Debates (1858)

The Lincoln Douglas debates were a series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas as the ran against each other for Senate.

The Underground Railroad

The Underground Railroad was a network of secret routes and safe houses where slaves were helped by abolitionists to escape to freedom in the North. Harriet Tubman is famous for being the "conductor" of this Underground Railroad system and she saved many people using it.

Fugitive Slave Law (1850)

The United States government and any citizen was required by this law to help capture fugitive slaves and return them to their owners. You would also be fined for helping a slave.

Equal Numbers of Free and Slave States

The United States worked to keep evryone happy by having an equal number of free states and slave states. By having an equal number of each, neither one could overrule and outnumber the other.

Compromise of 1850

When California was admitted as a free state, it upset the balance between free and slave states. Henry Clay then created the Compromise of 1850. California would be admitted as a free state, slave trade would be outlawed in Washington D.C., the Fugitive Slave Law would be enacted and popular sovereignty would be in most states.

Missouri Compromise of 1820

When Missouri to entered the union as a slave state, Maine was created and entered the union as a free state to keep the balance between free and slave states. Slavery was prohibited north of the 36˚ 30' latitude line within the Louisiana Territory.

Wilmot Proviso (1846)

Wilmot Proviso was an unsuccessful proposal after the Mexican American war to prohibit slavery in the newly acquired territory. David Wilmot proposed this, as an attempt to keep slavery from expanding.