Literature
Who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Harriet Beecher Stowe
What was the Federal Fugitive Slave Act?
A part of the Compromise of 1850
Legalized Southerners going into the North and recapturing escaped slaves
Made harboring slaves a criminal and civil offense
What was the Kansas-Nebraska Act?
Written by Stephen Douglas
Proposed that the Kansas-Nebraska territories should decide for themselves if they would allow slavery.
What was the Scott vs. Sanford case about?
Dred Scott (a slave) wanted to become a free man
What were the Lincoln-Douglas debates?
7 debates throughout Illinois
between the Democratic senator Stephen A. Douglas and Republican challenger Abraham Lincoln during the 1858 Illinois senatorial campaign, largely concerning the issue of slavery extension into the territories.
Who was John Brown and what did he do?
Radical Abolitionist
1856, Lawrence Kansas, Brown went to a proslavery town and brutally killed five of its settlers. Brown and his sons would continue to fight in the territory and in Missouri for the rest of the year.
On October 16, 1859, he led 21 men on a raid of the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia
Who was Stephen Douglas?
Senator from Illinois
'Little Giant'
Helped create the Compromise of 1850
Created the Kansas-Nebraska Act
Ran against Lincoln in the 1860 Presidential election
What happened during the caning of Charles Sumner?
Senator Preston Brooks attacked Senator Charles Sumner with his Gold tipped cane beating him after Sumner delivered his 'Crimes against Kansas' speech
What was the main message of Uncle Tom's Cabin?
Re-humanize Slavery
Show white people how bad slavery actually was
How did the Federal Fugitive Slave Act impact abolitionists?
represented a huge blow to their efforts. Not only had the federal government endorsed slavery, but it had also committed to preserving the institution indefinitely
What was 'Bleeding Kansas'
a period of violent conflict in the Kansas Territory from 1854 to 1861 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery force
enslaved people were not citizens of the United States and, therefore, could not expect any protection from the federal government or the courts
Congress and Territorial Governments had no power to decide the fate of slavery.
What issues were discussed during the Lincoln-Douglas debates?
largely concerning the issue of slavery extension into the territories.
Douglas accusing Lincoln of being an abolitionist while Lincoln accused Douglas of wanting to nationalize slavery
What is a radical?
A person who supports change
A person who supports extreme changes in government, or who advocates for fundamental political, economic, and social reforms
How many debates did Lincoln and Douglas have?
7 all around Illinois
Who were Charles Sumner and Preston Brooks
Charles Sumner was a Senator from Mass
Preston Brooks a Senator from South Carolina
How did Uncle Tom's Cabin influence public opinion?
Enraged abolitionists
Pushed the fight for slavery abolition
What were the penalties for assisting runaway slaves?
Criminal and Civil offense.
Could go to Jail.
How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act affect the Missouri Compromise?
It repealed the Missouri Compromise -> Got rid of it.
How did Scott vs. Sanford affect the status of slavery in the territories?
declaring that Congress had no power to prohibit slavery in any U.S. territory, effectively allowing slave owners to bring their slaves into any territory, including those considered "free" by the Missouri Compromise, essentially invalidating it
How did the debates affect Lincoln's political career?
raised his reputation nationally. Lincoln's performance made his reputation nationally and by 1860, he was nominated by the Republican party presidential candidate.
What impact did John Brown's Raid have on Northern and Southern views?
What was Abraham Lincoln's stance on slavery?
He was an abolitionist but not an extreme one.
He thought slavery was wrong but tried to maintain peace and told the South that they could keep their slaves as long as they didn't try to expand slavery.
What were the political ramifications of the canning incident?
greatly intensified anti-slavery sentiment in the North, solidified support for the Republican Party, and is widely viewed as a symbolic event that pushed the country closer to the Civil War by demonstrating the growing violence and breakdown of reasoned discourse surrounding the issue of slavery
What events inspired Harriet Beecher Stowe to write the book?
Samuel's death in 1849
The Federal Fugitive Slave Act
How did this law contribute to tensions between the North and South?
requiring Northerners to actively participate in the capture and return of escaped slaves, effectively forcing them to support an institution they largely opposed, leading to widespread resistance and anger among abolitionists and free
What role did popular sovereignty play in this act?
the idea that the settlers of the new territories should decide if slavery would be legal there
Why was the decision controversial?
essentially upholding the legality of slavery in all territories and effectively invalidating the Missouri Compromise, which deeply divided the nation along sectional lines and significantly contributed to the growing tensions leading up to the Civil War
What was Stephen Douglas's position on slavery?
as long as the people in a territory or state supported it, slavery should be allowed
What was the response to John Brown's raid?
his execution further polarized North and South and made a resolution of the slavery issue the center of national debate.
How did Lincoln and Douglas differ on the issue of slavery?
unlike Lincoln, Douglas did not consider slavery a moral issue, an agonizing dilemma, nor was it an issue that would tear the Union apart
How did the cane fight event reflect the growing tensions in the country?
convinced both sides that the gulf between them was unbridgeable
How did the book contribute to the abolitionist movement?
inspiring more northerners than ever before to embrace the antislavery movement while provoking southerners to become more spirited in their defense of slavery.
What was the public reaction to the Federal Fugitive Slave Act?
What were the long-term effects of 'Bleeding Kansas'
The division between the North and the South
Violence in Congress
What impact did this have on the abolitionist movement?
deeply enraging and galvanizing anti-slavery activists, essentially fueling their cause by demonstrating the Supreme Court's blatant support for slavery and further intensifying sectional tensions leading up to the Civil War;
Who said this and what is the speech called?
"A house divided against itself cannot stand." I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half-slave and half-free.
Abraham Lincoln
A house divided.
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What were the main points of contention between Lincoln and Douglas
Douglas accusing Lincoln of being an abolitionist while Lincoln accused Douglas of wanting to nationalize slavery
What was the public's reaction to the caning of Charles Sumner?
Northerners largely condemning the attack as an act of barbarity and Southerners largely defending the assailant, Preston Brooks, as a hero for standing up against anti-slavery rhetoric