Issue
Date
Compromise of 1850
1850
Fugitive Slave Act
1850
1852
Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Key Individuals
Description and Significance
Responses
(Northern and Southern)
Henry Clay
Daniel Webster
John Calhoun
Pres. Fillmore
CA=free state (pop. Surge due to Gold Rush)
Stricter fug. Slave law
NM & Utah= pop. Sovereignty
Slave trade in DC ended
Texas gets $10 million for lost land
Angry w/ fug. Slave (N)
Get more states (N)
May lose balance of slave and free states (S)
Fug. Slave law is justified =property (S)
Fugitive Slave law-more $ for catch than release
Bloodhound Bill
Fines, prison, corrupt system, no jury
North resists slave catchers, make their own
laws, help slaves
South as victory, 1000 per year escape,
expensive property
-Novel about the evils of slavery
-especially breaking up of families
-selling of slaves & fugitive slave law
-popular in North and Europe
-North very popular
-first exposure to life of slavery
-South book was misleading, biased, untrue,
it was banned and burned
Harriet Beecher Stowe
Issue
Date
Key Individuals
Description and Significance
Responses
(Northern and Southern)
1854
Stephen Douglas &
President Pierce
-Organize territories to build a Northern R.R.
-Land to be based on pop. Sov.
-Douglas owned real estate & RR holdings in Illinois
-Pushed through Congress
N-freesoilers angry at loss of land and Missouri
Compromise
S-angry at abolitionists entering both territories
See chance for slavery in Kansas and more power
Support Lecompton Constitution
1856
John Brown
John Brown and followers attack pro slavery advocates and hack
them to death with broad swords. Response to Massacre at
Lawrence.
N-Brown is a madman, extremist he hurt the
free-soil movement, some supporters
S-North is radical abolitionists, must stop
lunatics and punish them
1856
Sumner of Mass. and
Preston Brooks of S.
Carolina (rep.)
Sumner criticizes Kansas and problems. Gives “Crime Against
Kansas Speech” and attacks S. Carolina senator Andrew Butler.
Brooks, his nephew, beats Sumner with cane. Sumner is severely
injured.
N—Bully brooks,, reprint speech, reelected
S. –send new canes to Brooks, anger the North,
reelected
Kansas-Nebraska Act
Pottawatomie Massacre
Brooks-Sumner incident
Issue
Date
Key Individuals
Description and Significance
Responses
(Northern and Southern)
1857
Dred Scott (slave) vs. Owner
Sanford and Chief Justice
Taney
Black slave sues for freedom after he had lived in free soil area for 5
years. Supreme Court Rules 1. Black slave can’t sue, not citizen 2.
Slave’s private property protected by 5th amendment, 3. Overturns Miss.
Compromise, 4. Slaves can be taken back from anywhere
N—went against Miss. Compromise, Question of
whether there can be free blacks, angers Free Soil party
S—Supreme Court protects property, North should
respect the Court
1857
President Buchanan
Written Constitution protects slavery in Kansas (vote either way protects
it). Antislavery activists didn’t vote for it.
N—angry, this is fraud, Stephen Douglas even protests
S—Buchanan supports, slavery protected, Democratic
party split, Stephen Douglas dead in the South
1859
John Brown and Robert E.
Lee
**Plan—raid federal arsenal and cause slave rebellion
**Result—NO rebellion, Robert E. Lee crushes rebels, John Brown
hanged, Trial important press is there
N—some see Brown as fanatic, others see as martyr,
white dies for black men
S—see as fanatic, begin to arm themselves, Northern
conspiracy—Secret Six funding, make John Brown an
example
Dred Scott decision
Lecompton Constitution
Harper’s Ferry Raid