- The Compromise of 1850- created by Henry Clay
a. California would become a FREE state
b. The slave trade would end in D.C.
c. New Mexico and Utah territory would be
given popular sovereignty
d. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act
The List: 10 events that led to the Civil War
These 10 events are the biggest events that occurred between 1850 and 1860. We credit these as being the breaking point events that led to the South seceding from the Union.
Popular Sovereignty-the citizens of that territory would vote on whether to allow slavery into the territory.
2. The Fugitive Slave Act- a law that required the North to return runaway slaves.
3. Uncle Tom's Cabin- book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe
a. the book was about the cruelty of slavery
b. Northerners became outraged at the South's treatement of slaves
c. Southerners blamed Stowe for making them look bad and called her a liar
4. The Kansas-Nebraska Act- Law that established 2 territories: Kansas (KS) and Nebraska (NE)
a. both territories were given popular sovereignty on the issue of slavery
5. Bleeding Kansas
a. March 1855 KS holds their election on the issue of slavery:
* 5000 Missouri citizens go into KS and vote for
slavery
* Anti-Slavery supporters formed their own state govt.
* John Brown and 7 men killed 5 pro-slavery supporters
* A civil war breaks out in KS and lasts 3 years
6. The Caning of Charles Sumner-
*Sumner, a senator from Mass gives a speech in Congress on the violence in KS and on the cruelty of slavery.
* Brooks goes into the Senate and hits Sumner over the head 30 times in "honor of the South"
7. Dred Scott v. Sandford- Court case over the issue of slavery
Decision:
- ruled that slaves are not citizens but property
- ruled that Congress could not outlaw slavery in any territory
*This decision caused a huge split and caused great tension between the North and the South