Key Events and Figures Leading to the Civil War

Kansas-Nebraska Act

A 1854 law that allowed settlers in Kansas and Nebraska to determine whether to allow slavery, effectively overturning the Missouri Compromise.

John Brown

A radical abolitionist who led violent attacks against slavery supporters, most notably at Harpers Ferry in 1859.

"Bleeding Kansas"

A term describing the violent clashes between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in Kansas during the mid-1850s.

Nativist

Someone who favors native-born citizens over immigrants, often associated with anti-immigrant movements in the 19th century.

"Know-Nothings"

A secretive political party in the 1850s that opposed immigration and Catholic influence in American politics.

Republican Party

Founded in the 1850s, it emerged as the leading anti-slavery party and later became one of the two major political parties in the U.S.

Dred Scott

An enslaved man who unsuccessfully sued for his freedom, leading to the infamous Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court decision.

Roger B. Taney

The Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court who ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford that African Americans had no rights as citizens.

Abraham Lincoln

The 16th U.S. President, known for leading the country through the Civil War and issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.

Stephen A. Douglas

A U.S. Senator and proponent of popular sovereignty, famously debating Lincoln in the Lincoln-Douglas debates.

Harpers Ferry

The site of John Brown's failed raid on a federal armory in 1859, intended to incite a slave rebellion.