Dred Scott case
A slave in Missouri was taken to live in free Wisconsin, for two years, and he sued for his freedom. The Supreme Court ruled that slaves aren't citizens, and they are property so nobody can be deprived of their property without due process.
Divided the south into 5 zones under military occupation. Increased requirements for rejoining (also ratify 14th amendment and have universal suffrage)
Free Soil Party
Formed by abolitionists who wanted to ban slavery everywhere
Gold rush
Gold was discovered in California, population skyrocketed
Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo
Election of 1860
15th amendment
Protected voting rights of former slaves (in theory)
Texan independence
Americans had been settling in Texas since the 1820s. The southerners outnumbered actual Mexicans and had brought their slaves. The Mexican government outlawed slavery and mandated catholicism.
Mexican-American war
Disputes over the Texas border sparked the conflict. American troops made it all the way to Mexico city.
Manifest destiny
Americans believed they had a God-given right to have a nation from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
Election of 1844
James k. Polk was a big believer in manifest destiny. He got the Oregon territory and started the Mexican-American River.
John Brown
Led a small raid on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. His goal was to arm the southern slave population and incite a slave rebellion
White supremacy continued to dominate. Secret societies continued to terrorize African Americans (and Catholics, jews, and immigrants)
Battle of Vicksburg
Granted the Union control of the entire Mississippi River. Cut the confederacy in half
Plan to completely cut off the south by blockading southern ports and eventually the Mississippi river
divided Nebraska territory into 2 sections, Kansas and Nebraska. Put slavery to a vote in each new state. Effectively overturned the Missouri compromise!
Compromise of 1877
The contested election was decided by a Republican-leaning committee the obv chose the Republican candidate. Democrats threatened to filibuster
Civil rights act of 1866
All African Americans were citizens of the United States
Fighting broke out between the pro and anti-slavery factions
Fugitive slave act
Compromise of 1850
California and New Mexico wanted to enter the union as free states.
Henry Clay created compromise: New Mexico and Utah would vote on slavery, California would be admitted as a free state, Slavery would be banned in Washington D.C., and there would be a new fugitive slave act
Pres. Johnson violated the tenure of office act, and impeachment failed by one vote
Restricted the civil rights of african americans in the south. Made it harder to vote, own property, even banned them from testifying against white people
A coalition of free soilers and whigs and northern democrats who's goal was to stop the spread of slavery.
Radical Republicans
Positions on expansion of slavery
Argued that slavery was a constitutional right, wanted line established in the Missouri Compromise to extend all the way westward to the Pacific.
Wilmot Proviso
An amendment to a law in congress that stipulated that any land gained in the Mexican-American war wouldn't be ineligible for the spread of slavery. Symbolized the growing tension over westward expansion and slavery.
Stopped the president from removing a member of their cabinet without congressional approval (Johnson had tried to remove his secretary of war, who was a radical Republican)
