Timeline of Key Events Leading Up to the American Civil War (1820‑1861)

These flashcards cover critical events and terms related to the build-up to the American Civil War, providing definitions and context for each significant occurrence.

Missouri Compromise

The 1820 agreement admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, prohibiting slavery north of the 36°30′ parallel.

Indian Removal Act

The 1830 legislation signed by President Andrew Jackson that opened Southern land for cotton cultivation, increasing reliance on slave labor.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

The 1831 revolt in Virginia that intensified fears in the South and provoked stricter slave codes, as well as increased abolitionist activism in the North.

Mexican-American War

The 1846-1848 conflict that resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, adding new territories and reviving debates over slavery.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws aimed at settling the status of territories gained from the Mexican-American War, which included the controversial Fugitive Slave Act.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

A novel published in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe that highlighted the horrors of slavery and swayed public opinion in the North against it.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

The 1854 legislation allowing popular sovereignty to determine the status of slavery in Kansas and Nebraska, leading to violent conflicts known as 'Bleeding Kansas'.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

The 1857 Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans could not be citizens and Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories.

John Brown’s Raid

The 1859 attempt by abolitionist John Brown to incite a slave uprising, which alarmed the South and increased national polarization.

Election of Abraham Lincoln

The 1860 election where Lincoln's anti-slavery expansion platform led to Southern fears of lost representation and triggered secession.

Secession of South Carolina

The first state's departure from the Union in December 1860, initiating a chain reaction of secessions from other Southern states.

Attack on Fort Sumter

The April 1861 assault by Confederate forces, marking the beginning of armed conflict in the Civil War.

Missouri Compromise

The 1820 agreement admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, prohibiting slavery north of the 36°30′ parallel.

Indian Removal Act

The 1830 legislation signed by President Andrew Jackson that opened Southern land for cotton cultivation, increasing reliance on slave labor.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

The 1831 revolt in Virginia that intensified fears in the South and provoked stricter slave codes, as well as increased abolitionist activism in the North.

Mexican-American War

The 1846-1848 conflict that resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, adding new territories and reviving debates over slavery.

Wilmot Proviso

An unsuccessful 1846 proposal to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican-American War.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws aimed at settling the status of territories gained from the Mexican-American War, which included the controversial Fugitive Slave Act.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

A component of the Compromise of 1850 that required citizens to assist in the capture of runaway enslaved people and denied enslaved people a trial by jury.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people. In the context of the 1850s, it referred to allowing residents of territories to decide, by vote, whether to permit slavery.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

A novel published in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe that highlighted the horrors of slavery and swayed public opinion in the North against it.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

The 1854 legislation allowing popular sovereignty to determine the status of slavery in Kansas and Nebraska, leading to violent conflicts known as 'Bleeding Kansas'.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

The 1857 Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans could not be citizens and Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories.

John Brown’s Raid

The 1859 attempt by abolitionist John Brown to incite a slave uprising, which alarmed the South and increased national polarization.

Abolitionist Movement

A social and political movement dedicated to ending slavery, particularly prominent in the United States from the late 18th century to the Civil War.

Election of Abraham Lincoln

The 1860 election where Lincoln's anti-slavery expansion platform led to Southern fears of lost representation and triggered secession.

Secession of South Carolina

The first state's departure from the Union in December 1860, initiating a chain reaction of secessions from other Southern states.

Attack on Fort Sumter

The April 1861 assault by Confederate forces, marking the beginning of armed conflict in the Civil War.

Missouri Compromise

The 1820 agreement admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, prohibiting slavery north of the 36°30′ parallel.

Indian Removal Act

The 1830 legislation signed by President Andrew Jackson that opened Southern land for cotton cultivation, increasing reliance on slave labor.

Nat Turner’s Rebellion

The 1831 revolt in Virginia that intensified fears in the South and provoked stricter slave codes, as well as increased abolitionist activism in the North.

Mexican-American War

The 1846-1848 conflict that resulted in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, adding new territories and reviving debates over slavery.

Wilmot Proviso

An unsuccessful 1846 proposal to prohibit slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico in the Mexican-American War.

Compromise of 1850

A series of laws aimed at settling the status of territories gained from the Mexican-American War, which included the controversial Fugitive Slave Act.

Fugitive Slave Act of 1850

A component of the Compromise of 1850 that required citizens to assist in the capture of runaway enslaved people and denied enslaved people a trial by jury.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people. In the context of the 1850s, it referred to allowing residents of territories to decide, by vote, whether to permit slavery.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

A novel published in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe that highlighted the horrors of slavery and swayed public opinion in the North against it.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

The 1854 legislation allowing popular sovereignty to determine the status of slavery in Kansas and Nebraska, leading to violent conflicts known as 'Bleeding Kansas'.

Dred Scott v. Sandford

The 1857 Supreme Court case ruling that African Americans could not be citizens and Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories.

John Brown’s Raid

The 1859 attempt by abolitionist John Brown to incite a slave uprising, which alarmed the South and increased national polarization.

Harpers Ferry Raid

The unsuccessful 1859 raid led by abolitionist John Brown on a federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, intended to arm enslaved people for a revolt, further escalating sectional tensions.

Abolitionist Movement

A social and political movement dedicated to ending slavery, particularly prominent in the United States from the late 18th century to the Civil War.

Free-Soil Party

A political party active in the mid-19th century United States, primarily opposing the expansion of slavery into the western territories, advocating for 'free soil, free labor, free men'.

Election of Abraham Lincoln

The 1860 election where Lincoln's anti-slavery expansion platform led to Southern fears of lost representation and triggered secession.

Crittenden Compromise

A last-ditch effort in 1860-1861 to prevent the Civil War, proposing constitutional amendments to protect slavery in states and territories south of the 36°30′ parallel, which ultimately failed.

Secession of South Carolina

The first state's departure from the Union in December 1860, initiating a chain reaction of secessions from other Southern states.

Confederate States of America

The government formed in February 1861 by eleven Southern states that seceded from the United States, established primarily to preserve the institution of slavery.

Attack on Fort Sumter

The April 1861 assault by Confederate forces, marking the beginning of armed conflict in the Civil War.