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Missouri Compromise
Description: A compromise orchestrated by Henry Clay That allowed Missouri to enter the Union as a slave state and Maine as a free state to maintain the balance in the senate. it also banned slavery in the Louisiana territory north of the 36 30' line. Significance: This was one of the first major legislative attempts to deal with the expansion of slavery. it temporarily eased tensions but set the stage for future conflict by creating a geographical dividing line for slavery. -
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Underground Railroad
Description: A secret network of routes and safe houses that helped enslaved people escape to the North and Canada. Prominent figures included Harriet Tubman. Significance: Southern Slaveholders viewed this as theft of property and a direct challenge to their way of life. It intensified hostility toward the north and contributed to calls for stricter fugitive slave laws. -
Abolitionist Movement
Description: A growing movement pushing for the immediate end of slavery. key figures are Frederick Douglass (published Narrative in 1845), William Lloyd Garrison ( the Liberator, 1831), Sojourner Truth ("Ain't I a Woman?" speech, 1851), Grimke sisters (lectures from 1836 onward.). Signigicance: The movement's moral appeal against slavery further polarized the North and South. Southerners felt their way of life was under siege. -
Nullification Crisis (States' Rights)
Description: South Carolina adopted the Ordinance of Nullification, declaring the federal tariffs of 1828 and 1832 unconstitutional and void within the state. President Andrew Jackson responded with a threat of military force. Significance: The crisis emphasized the conflict between federal authority and states' Rights. though it involved tariffs, the principle would later be applied to slavery, intensifying sectionalism -
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Mexican-American War
Description: A war between the U.S. and Mexico resulting in the U.S. gaining territory in the Southwest (including California, Arizona, and New Mexico) from Mexico. Significance: The acquisition of new lands reopened the debate over whether slavery should expand westward, further intensifying sectional tensions. -
Fugitive Slave Act Passed
Description: Part of the Compromise of 1850, it mandated that escaped slaves be returned even from free states. it also penalized anyone helping fugitives. Significance: The law enraged northerners, many of whom began openly resisting enforcement. it radicalized many who had been indifferent to slavery, further iflaming sectional divisons. -
Republican Party Founded
Description: Founded in Ripon, Wisconsin, the Republican Party was a coalition of anti-slavery Whigs, Free-Soilers, and abolitionists untied in opposing slavery's expansion. Significance: Its rapid raise highlighted the political realignment driven by sectionalism. The South saw the party as an existential threat to slavery and their power. -
Kanasas-Nebraksa Act Signed
Description: Proposed by Stpehen Douglas, this Act repealed the Missouri Compromise by allowing settlers in Kansas and Nebraksa to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty. Significance: It led to violent conflict in "Bleeding Kansas" and fractured national parties. It showed that legislative compromises were no longer effective in managing sectional tensions. -
Dred Scott v. Sandford Decision
Description: The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans could not be citizens and that Congress lacked power to end slavery in the territories. Significance: The ruling invalidated previous compromises and confirmed Southern Dominance in federal institutions. It shocked and angered the North, fueling Republican growth. -
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Harper's Ferry Raid
Description: John Brown, a radical abolitionist, led a raid on a federal arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Virgina, hoping to start a slave uprising. He was captured and hanged. Significance: The South viewed Brown as evidence of Northern aggression and Northern support for slave insurrection. It deepened mistrust and accelerated Southern calls for succession.