Kansas-Nebraska  Act of 1854

DATE:   1854

WHO,WHAT, WHERE:

• Proposed by Stephen Douglas and others
• A compromise that brought in Kansas and Nebraska into the union with the notion of popular sovereignty so that population settling the territories could vote on whether it should be a slave or free state.
• Shattered all illusions of sectional peace:

• Destroyed Whig Party, Divied Democratic Party, and helped create the Republican Party.

SIGNIFICANCE:

• It renders void the Missouri Compromise
• Brings Republican Party politics into the national spotlight
• Makes Douglas a national figure

Massachussetts Emigrant Aid Society

DATE: Established in 1854

WHO, WHAT, WHERE:

Built off of The New England Emigrant Aid who was under the direction of men such as Eli Hayer, The MEAS was established to foster emigration to Kansas and Nebraska territories by folks who put up money and people to go to Kansas to set up anti-slave towns.

One of major places was Lawrence, Kansas

SIGNIFICANCE:

The movement made a deep impression on public opinion, North and South

Bitterness and hate it engendered helped bring on the Civil War

Lincoln-Douglas Debates

Tell Date:1858

Who, What, When, Where:

Senate race  in Illinois. Series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln & Stephen Douglas that determined the control of Illinois legislature; the main issue discussed was slavery;

Douglas had a "popular sovereignty" stance, where states could choose between slavery or not;

Lincoln in contrast proposed that the U.S. cannot survive as half-slave, and half-free states.

Lincoln lost, but would beat Douglas in the 1860 presidential election.

Significance:

Lincoln became a figure of national stature, his star rising as quickly as any other in the Republican Party.

Because of his strong words against slavery, he had gained the attention of those who supported abolition.

Lincoln's name was increasingly mentioned as a possible candidate for the 1860 presidential election.

John Brown

Tell Date: 1856

Who, What, When, Where:

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Abolitionist known for violent acts to free slaves during "Bleeding Kansas" crisis, and led The Pottawatomie Creek Massacre; He also attempted to start a liberation movement among enslaved African Americans in Harpers Ferry, Virginia; tried for treason against the state of Virginia and hanged

Significance:

He instantly became a martyr for the north.

Fort Sumter

Tell Date: 1861

Who, What, When, Where:

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Near Charleston, South Carolina;

Following declarations of secession by seven Southern states, South Carolina demanded that the U.S. army abandon Fort Sumter, which was refused; Lincoln sent more supplies to U.S. army at Sumter, and in return the Confederates (led by Anderson) attacked.

Significance:

This event was the tipping point that started the Civil War

Stand Watie

Tell Date: 1806-1871

Who, What, When, Where:

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Leader of Cherokee nation and brigadier general of the Confederate States Army; commanded Confederate Indian cavalry; one of the only Indians to obtain a general ranking

Significance:

Loreta Vasquez

Tell Date: 1842-1897

Who, What, When, Where:

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Cuban-born woman who posed as a male Confederate soldier during the Civil War, and also became a spy for the South after she was discovered and discharged

Significance:

Benjamin Butler

Tell Date: 1818-1893

Who, What, When, Where:

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Representative and Governor of Massachusetts, and Union general in the Civil War;

Also called "The Beast" of New Orleans; In spite of the Fugitive Slave Act, Butler declined to return fugitive slaves to their owners who had come within his lines, on the grounds that, as laborers for building fortifications and other military activities, they were contraband of war, thereby justifying granting these slaves a relative freedom.

Significance:

Anaconda Plan

Tell Date:

Who, What, When, Where:

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First military strategy by Windfield Scott offered to Pres. Abraham Lincoln for crushing the rebellion of Southern states; plan emphasized the blockade of the Southern ports, and called for an advance down the Mississippi River to cut the South in two and cut off their resources; suggested that once the Southern states were effectively cut off from their resources, the North should wait for attack.

Significance:

Contributed to the defat of the South

Homestead Acts

Tell Date: 1862

Who, What, When, Where:

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legislation administered private land grants that granted applicants up to 160 acres; Contracted to cultivate the land and improve it, and after 5 years it could be yours; Act encouraged westward expansion; Anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. government, including freed slaves, could file an application

Significance:

NYC Draft Riots

Tell Date: 1863

Who, What, When, Where:

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violent disturbances in New York City caused by discontent with new laws drafting men into the Civil War; rioters were mostly working class men, angry because they believed the draft unfairly affected them while sparing wealthier men, who could afford to pay a $300.00 Commutation Fee to exclude themselves from being drafted; it was one of the largest civil disturbances in history

Significance:

Compromise of 1850

Tell Date: September 4, 1850

Who, What, When, Where:

<!-- @page { margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->The Compromise of 1850 was a series of five bills that were intended to stave off sectional strife. Its goal was to deal with the spread of slavery to territories in order to keep northern and southern interests in balance. Here is a summary of the five bills:

1. California was entered as a free state.
2. New Mexico and Utah were each allowed to use popular sovereignty to decide the issue of slavery. In other words, the people would pick whether the states would be free or slave.
3. The Republic of Texas gave up lands that it claimed in present day New Mexico and received $10 million to pay its debt to Mexico.
4. The slave trade was abolished in the District of Columbia.
5. The Fugitive Slave Act made any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave liable to pay a fine. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 and caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery.

Significance:

It kept the nation united -- but the solution was only temporary. Over the following decade the country's citizens became further divided over the issue of slavery. The rift would continue to grow until the nation itself divided.

Fugitive Slave Law

Tell Date: 1850

Who, What, When, Where:

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Part of Compromise of 1850 and It declared that all runaway slaves be brought back to their master; it's one of the most controversial bills in the Compromise and heightened Northern fears of a slave powered conspiracy; this act prevented any further compromises between the North and South

Significance:

Dread Scott Decision

Tell Date: 1857

Who, What, When, Where:

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Dred Scott vs. Sandford ruled that people of African descent imported into the United States and held as slaves, or their descendants (whether or not they were slaves) were not protected by the Constitution and could never be citizens of the United States; Since slaves were not considered citizens, they could not sue and could not be taken away from their masters without due process.

Significance:

Martin Robison Delany

Tell Date: 1812-1885

Who, What, When, Where:

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African American abolitionist who became the first African American field officer in the U.S. Army

Significance:

Mary Ann Shadd Cary

Tell Date: 823-1893

Who, What, When, Where:

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Bi-racial; founded The Provincial Freeman newspaper, and became the first black woman publisher in North America; the paper promoted the abolitionist movement; after enactment of the Fugitive Slave Act, she fled to Canada and established a established a school open to blacks

Significance:

Appomattox Courhouse

Tell Date: 1865

Who, What, When, Where:

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Where final engagement of the Civil War took place; Confederate general Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union general Grant at Appomattoxx Courthouse on April 9, 1865. Battle at Appomattox and the surrender ended the Civil War

Significance:

Our American Cousin

Tell Date:

Who, What, When, Where:

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Three act comedy written by Tom Taylor; play that was commencing when Lincoln was shot

Significance: