Events Leading Up to Civil War
By: Tanner S.
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 added some new laws such as trading slaves in D.C. was outlawed and in the new states New Mexico and Utah the people could decide if they wanted slaves or not. Also Clay came out of retirement to help put this bill to work which would also make Northern California enter the Union as a free state.
The Fugitive Slave Law
This law states that if a slave must be captured in the North it will be returned to the slaves owner because the owner owns the slave, it is property. The Underground Railroad was a way for the slaves to travel North without being caught. There were almost 2000 stations or homes that would let the slaves stay there then leave whenever.
The Dred Scott Decision of 1857
This was a Supreme Court case that included Dred Scott who was a free black person and Stanford. The Supreme Court was making a decision of which would make a big difference to the free black community. They decided that blacks free or enslaved could not become a U.S. citizen.
The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854
What this act was doing was letting non-slave owners and slave owners into the new states of Kansas and Nebraska. The person who wrote the bill that introduced this was Stephen A. Douglas. He said that they would join the Union but would allow both of slave and non-slave owners into these states
John Brown's Raid of 1859
John Brown was a man of action and was an Abolitionist. He led a raid with 21 other men in Harpers Ferry, Virginia.His plan was to arm slaves with weapons, but within 36 hours all of his men had been either killed or captured.
Bibliogrophy
http://www.ushistory.org/us/30d.asp
http://raunerlibrary.blogspot.com/2012_10_14_archive.html
http://www.kingsacademy.com/mhodges/04_American-Government/06_Civil-War/06_Civil-War.htm
http://causesofthecivilwar.wikispaces.com/The+Kansas-Nebraska+Act+1854
http://ows.edb.utexas.edu/site/uncovering-anti-racism-us-history/john-brown-and-abolitionists