1849 - Aft 1860 (> 12 years)
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Date |
Event(s) |
| 1 | 1850 | - 9 Sep 1850: Compromise of 1850,A series of five bills passed to address the issue of slavery, including admitting California as a free state and enacting the Fugitive Slave Act.
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| 2 | 1852 | - 20 Mar 1852: Uncle Tom's Cabin published,Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel was published, becoming a bestseller and fueling the abolitionist movement.
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| 3 | 1854 | - 30 May 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act,The act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed settlers to decide on the issue of slavery through "popular sovereignty."
- 15 Oct 1854: Republican Party founded,Anti-slavery activists and Whig Party members formed the Republican Party in Ripon, Wisconsin.
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| 4 | 1856 | - 21 May 1856: Sack of Lawrence,Pro-slavery forces attacked and looted the anti-slavery town of Lawrence, Kansas, during "Bleeding Kansas."
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| 5 | 1857 | - 6 Mar 1857: Dred Scott decision,The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
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| 6 | 1858 | - 15 Oct 1858: Lincoln-Douglas Debates,Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held a series of seven debates on the issue of slavery in Illinois.
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| 7 | 1859 | - 16 Oct 1859: John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry,Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, hoping to start a slave revolt.
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| 8 | 1860 | - 6 Nov 1860: Abraham Lincoln elected,Abraham Lincoln was elected as the 16th President of the United States.
- 20 Dec 1860: South Carolina secedes,South Carolina became the first state to secede from the Union following Lincoln's election.
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| 9 | 1861 | - 8 Feb 1861: Confederate States of America formed,Seven Southern states formed the Confederate States of America.
- 4 Mar 1861: Lincoln inaugurated,Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated as President of the United States.
- 12 Apr 1861: Attack on Fort Sumter,Confederate forces attacked Fort Sumter in South Carolina, marking the start of the American Civil War.
- 21 Jul 1861: First Battle of Bull Run,The first major land battle of the Civil War resulted in a Confederate victory.
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