University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: Franklin Pierce: Domestic Policies
As Franklin Pierce became president, the question of slavery in the territories occupied his handling of his domestic policies. Read about the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act and the resulting turmoil in Kansas as abolitionists and...
Harp Week
The End of Slavery: The Creation of the 13th Amendment
What a wonderful resource for researching the attempts to solve the issue of slavery prior to the Civil War, and the eventual ratification of the 13th Amendment. Find a timeline of legislation limiting the spread of slavery from 1787...
Digital History
Digital History: The Tallmadge Amendment [Pdf]
The question of the expansion of slavery into the territories of the United States was an old question that was addressed again in the Missouri Compromise of 1820. Read about the Tallmadge Amendment and the opinions supporting and...
Digital History
Digital History: The Crisis of 1850 [Pdf]
Read excerpts of the contentious debate about slavery in the territories as the U.S. Congress tried to hammer out legislation that could be passed by both houses and signed into law by the president. Find the provisions of the Compromise...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: "Bloody Kansas"
Here's an overview of the turmoil caused in the Kansas-Nebraska territory as a result of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Read about the potential of conflict between the free-soilers and the border ruffians.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Compromise of 1850
Find the various parts of the Compromise of 1850, proposed by Henry Clay, that extended slavery in some cases, prohibited in others, and added California as a free state. A clear chart shows what parts of the law were beneficial to the...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Wilmot's Proviso
Congressman David Wilmot, even before the end of the Mexican-War, proposed legislation that would outlaw the expansion of slavery into the new territory, should the United States acquire it. Read about his reasons for proposing the...