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Time

1820 is the date the Missouri Compromise was created.

Place

This compromise took place in Missouri.

People

Henry Clay - Henry Clay collected votes on the compromise, and promoted it.

Story

Missouri was passed as a slave state while Maine was a free state. And any states below the 36 degree 30’ parallel line south of Missouri, would ban slavery.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

It created a line between the north and south and that line was to depict if states were a slave or free state, furthering the divide between the two.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

It lessened the chance of Southerners seceding by limiting the spread of slavery.

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Time

Denmark Vesey started plotting after 1800 and took action in 1822.

Place

This plot started in Charleston, South Carolina.

People

Denmark Vesey - The leader of the rebellion plot

Story

Denmark Vesey planned to rebel against all the whites in South Carolina, He planned to take weapons, burn buildings, and free the enslaved. Though, he and his followers got caught; 35 African Americans were hanged, while 229 others were dealt other punishments.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

Since the south stopped this rebellion and hanged Vesey and his friends, this defines how much the south is pro-slavery, whereas the north would not do what the south did in this situation.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

The South may have seen this plan encouraged by the non-slavery rules up north and wanted to leave the Union to get rid of these ideas slaves or freemen could have.

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Time

The Nullification Crisis happened in 1832-33. Though, the first tariff was passed in 1828 to protect northern states.

Place

This crisis happened in South Carolina.

People

- John C. Calhoun - A South Carolina politician, was the one to oppose the federal government’s tariffs and call it unconstitutional.

- Andrew Jackson - The president of the USA who disagreed with South Carolina, created the Force Act and thought to start a war over this.

- Henry Clay - Lowered the tariffs and made a compromise between South Carolina and the Federal Government.

Story

The southern states were built on agriculture, meaning they would give out raw materials and buy the finished goods imported from other countries. But the federal government placed a new tariff on all states that raised the prices on imported goods in 1828. This only helped the north since they strived on manufacturing. After a few years, John C. Calhoun defined the law as unconstitutional and urged to nullify it. This argument he gave went far with the federal government almost resulting in war.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

The is law was in favor of the northern states than the southern states.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

John C. Calhoun declared that when a state nullifies a law and the Government tries to force that law on the state, then it is right to secede.

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Time

Nat Turner started his rebellion on August 21st in 1831.

Place

Turner's rebellion took place in Southern Virginia

People

Nat Turner - a slave, religious preacher, and the leader of the rebellion.

Story

Turner got a group of slaves and decided to revolt. They first killed Nat Turner’s owners, the Travis Family, and after that, they executed about 60 more whites. As the group headed to Jerusalem in Virginia, the news got out about the rebellion, giving time for armed white men to group up. There at Jerusalem, the group of African Americans was shot down, while some ran away including Nat Turner. But on October 31, 1831, Nat Turner was hanged.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

After the rebellion, Southern states decided to enforce slavery more, and add stricter conditions/rules on African Americans. This, of course, is the opposite of what the North wants and believes to do.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

This would probably want the South to become independent from the Federal government so that they could enforce their laws.

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Time

The Texas War started in October 1853 and ended in April of 1836.

Place

The battles in the Texas War for independence happened all around Mexico and Texas.

People

- Antonio López de Santa Anna - stopped the Texan protest, executed hundreds of Texans at Goliad, and signed a treaty with Texas.

- Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and William Travis (the leader)- held a group of defenders at the Alamo.

- Sam Houston - elected president for the newly independent Texas who also attacked Santa Anna and his troops at San Jacinto on April 21st, 1836.

Story

After Mexico became independent from Spain, they wanted more people to live in Texas, so they asked Americans too. Though, since there were a lot of new Americans in Texas, Mexico stopped them from coming in and also gave them tariffs. As a result, Texans got mad and started to protest. Santa Anna responded to this protest by sending in troops to hold them back. Later on, battles and massacres occurred in Gonzales, San Antonio., the Alamo, and in the Goliad. After the attack Sam Houston hosted in San Jacinto, Santa Anna signed a treaty with Texas, making them their own country on May 14, 1836.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

Since Texas is a southern state, it became a slave state, throwing off the balance America had.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

South had another state on its side, that would be willing to secede for slavery.

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Time

The Mexican American War happened in May 1846 and ended in February 1848.

Place

The Mexican American War happened along the border of Mexico and America.

People

President Polk - President of the USA who strongly believed in Manifest Destiny at the time, and declared war on Mexico.

Story

America offered 30 million dollars to Mexico for the land of California and Texas, but Mexico said no. After that, President Polk sent troops to the border of Mexico and Texas and ran into an army of Mexican troops. There, the war began. In 1848, Mexico lost and signed the Treaty of Guadalupe giving America the land we have today.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

The south was beginning to grow, so was the west. And whenever there is a new state, America has to determine if it was a free-state or a slave-state.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

How the government dealt with these new states, whether the government made most of them free or slave states, probably determined if the south would stay or not.

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Time

This plan was developed after the Mexican American war in 1846,

Place

The Wilmot Proviso was made in the government, to affect all land gained from Mexico.

People

- David Wilmot - was a representative from Pennsylvania who created the Wilmot Proviso.

- John C. Calhoun - tried to pass a law that went against the Wilmot Proviso

Story

After the Mexican-American War, the US had to decide if the newly gained territory would be a slave-state or free-state. David Wilmot created an amendment, called Wilmot Proviso, stating that all of the west should ban slavery. This passed in the House but not in Congress or the Senate. When John C. Calhoun promoted his law that slavery could never be banned, Congress refused as well.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

The Wilmot Proviso would only benefit the North and stop the spread of slavery, while John C. Calhoun wanted to keep the south's pro-slavery ideology.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

The idea of banning slavery on all western land is starting to get into the government and the thought that the US could ban slavery would make the south want to secede.

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Resources for Family Engagement from the Library of Congress | Library of Congress

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We invite you and your family to participate in these activities, inspired by the collections, programs, and expertise of the Library of Congress.

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Time

The Compromise of 1850 happened in 1849-50.

Place

The Compromise of 1850 happened in the US Congress which was created to affect California and both north and south.

People

Henry Clay - created the compromise of 1850.

Story

The compromise of 1850 was created as a result of the unbalanced number of slave and free states. This compromise would ban slavery in the US capital, Washington D.C., and make California a free state. On the other hand, this compromise created popular sovereignty and the Fugitive Slave Law, which was an act that forced anyone who witnessed a runaway slave to report the slave or face legal consequences.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

This Compromise made southern and northern states get along for at least a little while. But, it did show that the north and south had opposing views that a compromise was needed to avoid conflict.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

Southern states may have not liked that the Compromise of 1850 banned slavery in California.

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Time

This movement happened between the years 1783 and 1888.

Place

The abolitionist movement started in the Americas and England.

People

- Frederick Douglass and William Wells Brown - were infamous former slave supporters of the abolitionist movement.

- William Lloyd Garrison - Made the American Anti-Slavery Society, and was the leader among the abolitionist after 1833.

Story

Rational thinkers and religious people, such as Quakers, thought slavery to be against human rights and religion. So in the 1800s abolitionism began to spread. This movement reached England and all northern states of the US. In 1833 Britain and other European states decided to free slaves. And in the US, northern states banned/abolished slavery and slave trading.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

The southern states did not want slavery to end for economical reasons, yet the north wanted to ban slavery for ethical reasons.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

The south’s economy at the time was booming because of cotton plantations and slavery, so the sound of abolition did not sound good for them. This movement would encourage them to leave for their economical reasons.

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Time

The Ostend Manifesto was created on October 18, 1854.

Place

This meeting of the ministers happened in Ostend, Belgium without Norths notice.

People

Pierre Soulé - minister of Spain

James Buchanan - minister of Britain

John Y. Mason - minister of France

These ministers all met up to create the Ostend Manifesto.

Story

South wants Cuba to be a state since slavery was still here. After offering Spain, the owner of Cuba over 100 million dollars they refuse, so the American ministers came together in Ostend, Belgium to create the Ostend Manifesto. Once the North found out they canceled this plan.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

The South had this meeting without the North knowing. They did this because the North would of course disagree with what the South is doing.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

If the South gained Cuba they would have more land for slavery and it would encourage their manifest destiny beliefs. With these benefits, the South would be good on its own if they owned Cuba.

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Time

This act happened on May 30, 1854. Bleeding Kansas occurred from 1855 to 1860.

Place

This act happened to the land gained from the Louisiana Purchase, which was turned into Kansas and Nebraska.

People

- John Brown - led an anti-slavery group that killed and injured over 25 people during Bleeding Kansas

- Senator Stephen Douglas - created Kansas and Nebraska and told them to use popular sovereignty

Story

As votes were being placed an anti-slavery group fought and killed people of the pro-slavery group that came from Missouri. About 200 people were killed, this was known as Bleeding Kansas. For the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Senator Stephen Douglas divided the territory gained from the Louisiana Purchase into Kansas and Nebraska. These territories were told to decide if they wanted to be a slave state or not.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

The voting between anti-slavery and pro-slavery groups made conflict between North and South increase.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

The Kansas-Nebraska Act would upset southerners if the 2 new states became anti-slavery. Also, the votes for president in Kansas would contribute to the south’s choice to secede or not.

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Time

The first court trial was on June 30, 1847, after a couple after, this case began to get noticed on February 11, 1856.

Place

This Case happened in Missouri.

People

- The Blow Family and abolitionists - supported Dred and Harriet Scott while filing a lawsuit against Irene. This family were his previous owners

- Irene Emerson - John Emerson’s wife who made his slaves her property after he died. She refused to let the Scotts free.

- Roger Taney - the chief justice of the US’s supreme court who said that all African Americans are property.

- Calvin Chaffee - Sold Dred Scott and his family to his old owners who then set them free.

Story

After a lot of movement between free states, Dred Scott and his wife Harriet Scott failed to buy freedom from their owner Irene Emerson while living in a free state. Dred Scott then filed a lawsuit against Irene Emerson but failed many times from June 30th, 1847 to March 6th, 1857. When Irene Emerson married abolitionist Calvin Chaffee, he sold them to his old owners, the Blow family. On May 26, 1857, Taylor Blow gave Dred and Harriet Scott freedom.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

The Dred Scott case made a northern mad at the Supreme Court, while the south saw no problem with the government not stopping the spread of slavery.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

Since the division between northern and southern states increased after this case, the south would no longer want to be in the Union with the North after they raged about the Supreme Court not stopping the spread of slavery.

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Time

John Brown’s raid was planned to succeed on October 16, 1859.

Place

West Virginia is where John Brown and his group decided to plan the raid.

People

John Brown - The leader of the raiders, and his 3 sons helped.

Story- Describe what happened.

John Brown grew up against slavery, and as he got older, he came up with an idea. He planned to gather enslaved people and uprise them against their owners. He planned this would end slavery but instead he and ten of his 22 followers died after being caught in the arsenal. Later, John Brown got executed.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

This raid threatened southerners and their pro-slavery ideology, on the other hand, the raid encouraged North's anti-slavery beliefs.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

After this raid attempt, the South probably feared more raids of the northern mindset.

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Time

On November 6, 1860, Lincoln was elected president.

Place

This election affected all of the states.

People

Abraham Lincoln - was elected president

Story

Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the US. After that, many southern states started to secede, this was called the Ordinance of Secession.

How did the event lead to a division between the Northern & Southern states?

Abraham Lincoln was more supportive of the North's opinion on slavery, though, he didn’t want to interfere with the south. In southern eyes he was a threat, but not to the north.

How did it contribute to Southerners wanting to secede?

This election made most southern states secede since Lincoln was republican.