Key Events and Figures in American History

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Manifest Destiny

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The belief that the United States was intended by God to expand west across North America.

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Missouri Compromise

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Maine was admitted as a free state and Missouri was admitted as a slave state. States above the 36°30' line were admitted as free states, except Missouri. Below this line, states decided if they would be free or slave. This compromise aimed to maintain political balance.

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Henry Clay

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Former Congressman, Speaker of the House, and presidential candidate. Organizer of the Missouri Compromise of 1820 and the Compromise of 1850. Worked to keep the country united despite regional differences.

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Stephen Douglas

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Former senator from Illinois and 1860 presidential candidate. Introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which organized new territories based on popular sovereignty (states deciding if they would be free or slave).

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Fugitive Slave Law

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Slaves found in free states must be returned to their owners.

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Dred Scott Case

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A landmark Supreme Court case that decided slaves were not citizens but property. Slaves could not use courts and could be taken to any state with their owner.

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Election of 1860

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Abraham Lincoln won the election with 40% of the popular vote, despite not being on the ballot in several southern states. Southern states were angry about Lincoln's victory.

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Abraham Lincoln

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The 16th president of the United States. His views on slavery evolved over time. He worked to keep the Union together and eventually sought to abolish slavery through the Emancipation Proclamation.

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Secession

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When southern states left the United States and formed the Confederate States of America.

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Jefferson Davis

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Elected in 1861 as the President of the Confederate States of America.