history pre civil war

Compromise of 1850

Legislation aimed to balance slave and free states.

Fugitive Slave Act

Law enforcing the return of escaped slaves.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Allowed states to decide slavery via popular vote.

Bleeding Kansas

Violent conflict over slavery in Kansas territory.

Pro-Slavery Democratic Party

Political party supporting slavery in Southern states.

Whig Party

Political party divided on slavery issues.

Slavery Debates

Intense discussions on morality and legality of slavery.

George Fitzhugh

Pro-slavery advocate comparing wage earners to slaves.

10th Amendment

Reserves powers not granted to federal government to states.

Dissolution of the Whig Party

Whigs split, failing to oppose Democratic dominance.

Republican Party

Anti-slavery party formed from various political factions.

Know Nothings

Party opposing Catholic and Chinese immigration.

Free Soil Party

Opposed expansion of slavery into new territories.

Third Party System

Political era marked by new party formations.

Bible Riot

Clashes between Protestants and Catholics in Philadelphia.

Dred Scott Decision

Supreme Court ruling denying slaves' citizenship rights.

Harriet Tubman

Abolitionist known for leading the Underground Railroad.

John Brown

Radical abolitionist who raided Harper's Ferry.

Harper's Ferry

Site of John Brown's failed slave rebellion attempt to take over an Army arsenal.

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Abolitionist novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Stephen Douglas

Democratic candidate in the 1860 presidential election.

Abraham Lincoln

Republican candidate opposed to slavery's expansion.

Southern Secession

Southern states' withdrawal from the Union post-election of 1860.

Confederate States of America

Government formed by seceding Southern states.

Jefferson Davis

President of the Confederate States of America.

Fort Sumter

First battle of the Civil War in April 1861.

Robert E. Lee

Prominent Confederate general during the Civil War.

Stonewall Jackson

Famous Confederate general known for his tactics.

Border States

Slave states that remained loyal to the Union.

Habeas Corpus Suspension

Lincoln's action to imprison suspects without trial.

6th Amendment

Constitutional right guaranteeing fair trial protections.

Nullification Crisis

southern idea that they did not have to follow federal laws that they did not agree with.