Events Leading to the War Timeline

The Compromise of 1850

The Missouri Compromise
In 1819, the request by
slaveholding Missouri to join the
Union caused an angry debate.
Henry Cay suggested a way to
solve the crisis by allowing
Missouris admittance as a free
while also adding Maine as a free
state. The Senate wanted to settle
the issue of slavery for good so
they proposed prohibiting slavery
in the remainder of the Louisiana
Purchase north of 38 degrees 30
N latitude
Lincoln-Douglas This compromise was a package The Kansas-Nebraska Act
Debates of five separate bills. In 1854, the dispute over slavery
Lincoln An act proposing the erupted in Congress again.
challenged Northern and Western Stephen Douglas proposed
Douglas to a Boundaries of Texas organizing the region west of
series of An act for the admission Missouri and Iowa as the
debates. The two of California into the territories of Kansas and
met 7 times and Union Nebraska. Douglas was creating a
thousands came An act to establish a plan for the nation to expand that
to their debates territorial government for both the North and South would
and the main Utah. expand. Douglas proposed
issue was An act to amend the 1793 dumping the Missouri
slavery.. Lincoln Fugitive Slave Act Compromise and letting the
ended up losing An act to suppress the settlers in each territory vote on
the election slave trade in the District whether to allow slavery
of Columbia

Dred Scott Decision

Republican Dred Scott was a slave South Carolina The Lincoln Election
Party who had lived in 2 free Secession In 1860, the Republicans
Harpers Ferry
The Republican territories and 3 slave Lincoln and the nominated Abraham
In late 1859, an
party was formed states. His master dies Republicans had Lincoln and their platform
act of violence
because of the while they were living in promised not to disturb was that slavery would be
greatly
differing views Missouri, so Dred fought for slavery where it had left undisturbed, but that it
increased their
over the slavery his freedom and his case already existed. Many should he excluded from
fears. John
issue destroyed went all the went all the Southerners did not the territories. Lincoln won
Brown led 18
the Whig Party. way to Supreme Court, The trust the party. On a clear majority of the
men, both
In 1854, decision of the court was December 20,1860, the electoral votes and
whites and
antislavery Whigs because he was still a South's longstanding received 40% of the
blacks, on a
and Democrats slave he had no right to threat finally became popular vote. Lincoln's
raid on Harpers
joined forces to bring a lawsuit. This reality and South name did not appear in the
Ferry, Virginia.
form the decision electrified the Carolina were the first to ballot in most Southern