road to civil war

william garrison

An influential abolitionist and journalist, William Lloyd Garrison was the founder of the anti-slavery newspaper "The Liberator" and a prominent advocate for immediate emancipation of all enslaved people.

southern abolitionists

Individuals in the Southern states who opposed slavery and advocated for its abolition, often facing significant social and economic risks.

john c. calhoun

A prominent political figure and advocate for states' rights, John C. Calhoun served as Vice President and was a leading voice for the defense of slavery in the antebellum South.

charles sumner

A leading abolitionist and senator from Massachusetts, Charles Sumner was known for his passionate speeches against slavery and his role in the Free Soil movement. He was famously attacked on the Senate floor in 1856 for his anti-slavery stance.

preston brooks

A congressman from South Carolina known for his violent attack on Charles Sumner in 1856, using a cane to defend the honor of the South and its institutions.

fredrick douglass

An escaped slave and prominent abolitionist, Frederick Douglass became a powerful orator and writer advocating for the rights of African Americans and the end of slavery.

dred scott

A slave who sued for his freedom in a landmark Supreme Court case, Dred Scott v. Sandford, arguing that his residence in free territories made him free. The Court ruled against him, stating that African Americans could not be citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in the territories.

abraham lincoln

The 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln led the country during the Civil War and is known for his efforts to abolish slavery, particularly through the Emancipation Proclamation.

stephen douglass

A prominent politician and Illinois Senator, Stephen Douglas was known for his role in the debates with Abraham Lincoln and his advocacy for popular sovereignty regarding the expansion of slavery into the territories.

roger taney

The 5th Chief Justice of the United States, Roger Taney is best known for delivering the majority opinion in the Dred Scott v. Sandford case, which upheld the legality of slavery and denied citizenship to African Americans.

john brown

An abolitionist who believed in and advocated for armed insurrection to overthrow the institution of slavery in the United States. He is best known for his raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859.

jefferson davis

The President of the Confederate States during the American Civil War, was a former U.S. Senator and Secretary of War who led the Confederacy's efforts to maintain its independence from the Union.

fugitive slave act

A law passed in 1850 that required the return of runaway slaves to their owners, even if they were found in free states. It intensified the sectional conflict between the North and South.

uncle tom’s cabin

A novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe, published in 1852, that depicted the harsh realities of slavery and helped galvanize anti-slavery sentiments in the North.

compromise of 1850

A series of laws aimed at resolving the disputes between free and slave states, including the admission of California as a free state and the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act.

kansas-nebraska act

A law passed in 1854 that created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, allowing settlers to decide on the legality of slavery through popular sovereignty, which led to violent conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas."

crittenden compromise / plan

A proposal introduced by Senator John J. Crittenden in 1860 aimed at preventing the Civil War by extending the Missouri Compromise line westward and protecting slavery in southern territories.

confederate constitution

The governing document of the Confederate States of America, which established a government based on states' rights and the protection of slavery.

the liberator

A newspaper founded by William Lloyd Garrison in 1831 that advocated for the immediate abolition of slavery and equal rights for all.

republican party

A political party formed in the 1850s that opposed the expansion of slavery into the territories and sought to promote free labor and economic opportunity.

northen oppostition

The resistance to slavery and its expansion in the Southern states, primarily led by abolitionists, free-soilers, and anti-slavery activists in the Northern states.

southern opposition

The defense of slavery and its expansion in the Southern states, primarily supported by pro-slavery advocates, politicians, and the plantation economy.

bleeding kansas

A series of violent confrontations in the mid-1850s between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas, stemming from the debate over whether Kansas should enter the Union as a free or slave state.

harper’s ferry

A raid led by John Brown in 1859 aimed at seizing the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, to incite a slave uprising and promote abolition.

election of 1860

The presidential election in which Abraham Lincoln was elected, leading to the secession of several Southern states due to fears of his anti-slavery policies.

secession

The formal withdrawal of a state from the Union, primarily driven by issues related to slavery and states' rights, which ultimately led to the Civil War.