Reforms of Antebellum America Timeline

By teslablackhurst
  • The Missouri Compromise

    The Missouri Compromise

    This law was to keep balance between free and slave states. Missouri became a slave state, Maine a free state and slavery was banned north of the 30* 36* latitude. Passed in the Senate in March, passed in the House on February 1821.
    “Missouri Compromise.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 18 Nov. 2025, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Compromise. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
  • The Compromise of 1850

    The Compromise of 1850

    Series of laws meant to settle conflicts after Mexican-American War. California entered as a free state. Fugitive Slave Act became stricter angering the North because it forced them to help capture escaped slaves.
    “The Compromise of 1850 - APUSH Study Guide.” Fiveable, fiveable.me/apush/unit-5/compromise-1850/study-guide/SD3f1WJu48SnOd8v1RAm. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
  • The Kansas-Nebraska Act

    The Kansas-Nebraska Act

    Repealed the Missouri Compromise line, and allowed Kansas and Nebraska to decide slavery by popular sovereignty. Led to Bleeding Kansas, a violent mini civil war between pro slavery and anti slavery. Kansas-Nebraska Act - Kids | Britannica Kids | Homework Help, kids.britannica.com/kids/article/Kansas-Nebraska-Act/384519. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
  • Dred Scott Decision

    Dred Scott Decision

    Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and Congress had no right to restrict slavery in the territories. This outraged the North and gave the South more confidence.
    Lepore, Jill. “Dred: Waiting for the Supreme Court.” The New Yorker, 27 June 2012, www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/dred-waiting-for-the-supreme-court. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
  • John Browns Raid on Harpers Ferry

    John Browns Raid on Harpers Ferry

    Abolitionist John Brown tried to start a slavery uprising by seizing a federal arsenal. He failed and was executed but became a hero. Increased Southern fear that the North wanted to ruin their way of life.
    “John Brown’s Raid (U.S. National Park Service).” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, www.nps.gov/articles/john-browns-raid.htm. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.
  • Election of Abraham Lincoln

    Election of Abraham Lincoln

    Lincoln won without carrying a single Southern state. Southerners believed that he would abolish slavery. His election caused South Carolina to secede, followed by other Southern states and led directly to the Civil War in 1861.
    The Most Consequential Elections in History: Abraham Lincoln and the Election of 1860, www.usnews.com/news/articles/2008/07/23/abraham-lincoln-and-the-election-of-1860. Accessed 19 Nov. 2025.