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In 1776, Congress created the unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America. The document stated that all men are created equal and have certain unalienable Rights, such as Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. In order to protect such rights, the Declaration of Independence states that the people of the United States also have the right to alter or abolish any Government that intervenes and institutes a new Government. This was an important historical event as it set the philosophy that future Americans will try to interpret.

Primary source:

Locke, J. and Wright, B. (2019) Declaration of Independence, 1776, The American Yawp Reader. Available at: https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/democracy-in-america/missouri-controversy-documents-1819-1920/

Image Source:

Britannica, E. (2024) Declaration of independence, Encyclopædia Britannica. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Declaration-of-Independence

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In 1803, the U.S. purchased a vast area of land that greatly expanded the country. The Louisiana Purchase was acquired from France and Spain when the slaves rebelled against their leaders. Within the Declaration of Independence, the document states that everyone had the right to land. The expansion of more land also made the available option of slavery, which would eventually lead to conflict within the Northern and Southern states.

Secondary Source:

Foner, E. (2023) Securing the Republic, 1791-1815, Norton Ebook Reader. Available at: https://nerd.wwnorton.com/nerd/231597/r/goto/cfi/158!/4

Image Source:

Richardson, H.C. (2014a) Louisiana Purchase, We’re History. Available at: https://werehistory.org/louisiana-purchase/

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 Missouri Controversy Documents 1819-1820

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 Missouri Controversy Documents 1819-1820

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As the expansion of the land continued to grow the size of the country, the new state of Missouri came into question on the topic of slavery. In 1819, a member of Congress, Tallmadge, submitted an amendment to Congress to prohibit slavery in the state and grant emancipation to those who reached age 25. The amendment was denied, but it led to a new amendment that would prohibit slavery above the 36 line from the Louisiana Purchase and Missouri. This came to be the Missouri Compromise of 1820.

Primary Source:

Locke, J. and Wright, B. (2019) Missouri Controversy Documents, 1819-1820, The American Yawp Reader. Available at: https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/democracy-in-america/missouri-controversy-documents-1819-1920/

Image Source:

Linder, D. (2024) Text of Missouri Compromise of 1820 & Map, Famous Trials. Available at: https://famous-trials.com/dredscott/2552-text-of-missouri-compromise-of-1820

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A controversial event in history, when the Mexican president refused to sell land, a battle in Texas happened that led to war between the U.S. and Mexico. This war upset many people and led many to believe it was only for the reason of acquiring new land for slavery. With the Missouri Compromise balancing the number of free and slave states, the latest expansion of U.S. territories created another imbalance between the states.

Secondary Source:

Foner, E., DuVal, K. and McGirr, L. (2022) Chapter 13: A House Divided, 1840-1861, Norton Ebook Reader. Available at: https://nerd.wwnorton.com/nerd/231597/r/goto/cfi/230!/4

Image Source:

Mexican‑American War: Causes & Treaty of guadalupe hidalgo (2009) History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/mexican-american-war

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In 1850, Congress issued the Fugitive State Act. This act stated that slave owners had a right to capture runaway slaves in free states. It also made Northern citizens responsible for capturing and returning enslaved slaves, and gave slaves no legal rights. Due to the act making it more difficult for the enslaved to escape, slaves had to resort to using underground railroads, which Abolitionists would help with. In 1856, African-American abolitionist William Still received letters from the freedom-seekers he had helped. In one letter, a slave named Jefferson Pipkins writes about being anxious to get his children. He mentions their locations in the South and hopes that William Still would be able to help him. Due to the U.S. gaining more territories after the Mexican-American war, it led to stricter enforcement on the issue of slavery.

Primary Source:

Locke, J. and Wright, B. (2019) Stories from the Underground Railroad, 1855-1856, The American Yawp Reader. Available at: https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-sectional-crisis/stories-from-the-underground-railroad-1855-56/

Image Source:

Underground Railroad / samepassage (2022) SamePassage. Available at: https://samepassage.org/underground-railroad/

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Dred Scott, who was a slave of Missouri, was taken by his owner to the free state of Illinois in the 1830s. In 1857, Scott returned to Missouri and sued for his freedom. He argued that because he had a residence in a free state, he would be free of a slave. The Supreme Court ultimately decided that African Americans were not considered citizens of the United States. Their decision ruled that Scott had no right to sue and would go back to being a slave. This decision validated the Fugitive State Act as it gave no legal standing for a slave and further divided the country as Northerners saw slavery as morally wrong.

Secondary Source:

Foner, E., DuVal, K. and McGirr, L. (2022) Chapter 13: A House Divided, 1840-1861, Norton Ebook Reader. Available at: https://nerd.wwnorton.com/nerd/231597/r/goto/cfi/238!/4

Image Source: https://clevelandlawlibrary.org/public/misc/virtual_display/dred%20scott.html

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The divide of the Nation happened when Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. Many Southerners believed with the new election of the president, they would lose their state's rights and ultimately succeeded from the Union. South Carolina was the first state to secede and submitted a Declaration of Secession. The document states that the Constitution had been broken as "each State was recognized as an equal and had separate control over its own institutions." The document continues to describe how the Government failed them in the Constitution for the reason that they were denied the rights of property and let the North break its constitutional obligation to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act. Within all these events from the Declaration of Independence, a civil war began for the United States.

Primary Source:

Locke, J. and Wright, B. (2019a) South Carolina Declaration of Secession, 1860, The American Yawp Reader. Available at: https://www.americanyawp.com/reader/the-sectional-crisis/south-carolina-declaration-of-secession-1860/

Image Source:

Confederate States of America ‑ president, capital, definition (2024) History.com. Available at: https://www.history.com/topics/american-civil-war/confederate-states-of-america

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Background Photo:

Vintage Images (2017) 1860s April 1862 American Civil War by vintage images, Fine Art America. Available at: https://fineartamerica.com/featured/1860s-april-1862-american-civil-war-vintage-images.html