1846 - Amendment proposing slavery will not exist in any land from the War with Mexico. Had major following in the North. Did not pass... led to the formation of the Free Soil Party.

Political party formed to stop the expansion of slavery. Made up of northerners who didn't want slavery to expand to western territories; supported Wilmot Proviso.

California admitted as free state, slave trade abolished in DC, stronger fugitive slave law, Mexican Cession decided by popular sovereignty; advocated by Henry Clay and Stephen A. Douglas

Anti-slavery advocate who believed that God had called upon him to abolish slavery. Devoted over 20 years to fighting slavery, in revenge he and his followers (his sons and others) killed five men in the pro slavery settlement of Pottawatomie Creek. Led attack at Harper's Ferry, Virginia.

One of the two major American political parties. It emerged in the 1850s as an antislavery party and consisted of former northern Whigs, free soil members, and antislavery Democrats.

(1791-1868) American politician and fifteenth president of the United States, he was chosen as the Democratic nominee for president in 1854 for being politically experienced and not offensive to slave states.

Between Democrat Stephen Douglas and Republican Abraham Lincoln. Douglas was big name, Lincoln was less well known. Lincoln lost the election, but became famous.

American politician from Illinois who developed the method of popular sovereignty as a way to settle slave state or free state. He helped passed the compromise of 1850 as well as giving the states the choice with popular sovereignty., Senator from Illinois, author of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Democrats split over candidate. Northern Democrats support Stephen A. Douglas (popular sovereignty), Southern Democrats support John C. Breckenridge.

Southern Democratic nominee in the 1860 election- focused on expanding the institution of slavery.

A Missouri slave who had been taken north to work in free territory for several years. After he returned with his slaveholder to Missouri, he sued to end his slavery arguing that living in free territory made him a free man. Supreme court ruled against him. Stating that he was not a U.S. citizen and that gave him no right to sue in federal court. Also said that the 5th amendment protected slaveholders from being deprived of their property.

1854 - This act repealed the Missouri Compromise. Popular sovereignty (vote of the people) would determine whether Kansas and Nebraska would be slave or free states.

depended on agriculture, small farms and large plantations, slaves were main source of labor.

John Brown's scheme to invade the South with armed slaves, backed by sponsoring, northern abolitionists; seized the federal arsenal; Brown and remnants were caught by Robert E. Lee and the US Marines; Brown was hanged.

She wrote the abolitionist book, Uncle Tom's Cabin. It helped to crystallize the rift between the North and South. It has been called the greatest American propaganda novel ever written, and helped to bring about the Civil War.

(1856) a series of violent fights between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces in Kansas who had moved to Kansas to try to influence the decision of whether or not Kansas would a slave state or a free state.

First and only president of the Confederate States of America after the election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860 led to the secession of many southern states.

Formal withdrawal of states or regions from a nation.