Election of 1848
- The U.S. was rapidly expanding westward and the next president would decide whether or not slavery would exist there. The election was won by the Whig Party with Zachary Taylor.
- Proviso started the idea of popular sovereignty in which the people would decide what happened next in the new territories. The idea was popular among the public and politicians. However, if people voted for slavery, this could end up being a huge mistake.
- This party was strongly against slavery made up of industrialists, mad democrats, racist Northerners, and Whigs opposed to slavery. Some people wanted to see slaves freed as long as the slaves didn't move near them. They saw the economic opportunity provided by slaves.
- California's population was beginning to boom as more and more people were coming for the gold rush. Therefore, the people decided to apply for statehood as a non-slave state. This would tip the balance from equal amount of slave and non-slave states. The South was worried they would lose their power in D.C.
- The South passed the Fugitive Slave Law and were worried it would not be enforced. During the Underground Railroad, slaves would escape to the north. The Fugitive Slave Law required northerners to return the slaves to the south. Due to the Underground Railroad, the South demanded a harsher Fugitive Slave Law due to the economic loss of slaves fleeing to the North.
- The compromise allowed California to be admitted as a free state, but also formed Utah and New Mexico as states with no restriction on slavery. Texas received 10 million dollars for compensation, and slave trade was abolished in D.C. The compromise satisfied both sides and reduced conflict for the time being.
- The law did not allow slaves to testify in court and could not receive a jury trial. Any white who helped slaves to reach the north would receive a fine.
- Franklin Pierce won the election for the Democrats. This election marked the end of the Whig Party and the end of national parties.
- The South began to expand into countries such as Nicaragua and Cuba. The North began to become fearful of the South starting a slave empire outside the U.S.
- The purchase acquired land in the southwest , also allowing a railroad to be completed in the South. The railroad allowed for traveling through the unorganized territory of the southwest.
- Stephen Douglas split Nebraska into two territories and allowed slavery to be decided by popular sovereignty. This angered the northerners as it directly went against the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and indirectly against the Compromise of 1850.
- Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote this book in order to share her opinions against slavery. The book gained strong support in the abolition movement, and the country was beginning to move towards disunion.
- Kansas elected to be a slave state. However, they would also have two government, a slave one in Shawnee and a free one in Topeka. Topeka's government was considered illegal while Shawnee's was fraudulent.
- Brown killed five pro-slavery people in a fight for his cause. Some people saw him his a madman, and that he needed to be put in jail while others saw him as a martyr who was fighting for his beliefs.
- People in Kansas wanted to start their own constitution in which the people would vote for a constitution on whether or not slavery would be allowed. People who already had slaves would be protected. Free-soilers began to boycott the new constitution and continued to fight for abolition.
- Sumner was a strong abolitionist and even gave bitter speeches in the Senate. Brooks thought Sumner had gone too far and decided to give him "a piece of his mind" by beating him with a cane. This divide in the Senate marked the one of the turning points in the divide between the North and South.
- Dred Scott decided to sue his owner John Sanford. The case went all the way to the Supreme Court in which they ruled that slaves are property and do not have the right to sue anybody. The case sparked the abolition movement.
- At Harper's Ferry, Brown tries to start a slave uprising against their owners. Brown was captured and convicted and later executed for his actions. After the event, Brown became a martyr for the abolition movement.
- Abe Lincoln was the republican nominee and known to be against the expansion of slavery. He also wanted to provide protective tariff in order to protect northern manufacturers. He also advocated internal improvement to make the country better as a whole. These qualities made Lincoln extremely popular among the northerners, free-soilers, and western settlers.
- South Carolina promised that if Lincoln were to win the presidency, they would secede. They lived up to their promise and seceded after Lincoln was elected the 16th President of the United States. Several states followed to create the Confederate States of America in which they elected Jefferson Davis as their President.
- This amendment was the last chance at compromise in order to preserve the Union. The deal was that slavery would be banned north of the 36, 30 geographical line. Everywhere else would be decided by the people, and existing slavery would be protected. The main goal was to keep the Union together. However, they were unsuccessful and the Civil War started shortly after.