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As slavery spreads west, conflicting ideologies cause a split between black abolitionists and their white allies over southern slavery and northern racism. Blacks organize state, regional, and national "colored" conventions in an attempt to forge a unified platform. The Compromise of 1850, far from easing the national controversy over slavery, creates new threats to black freedom and escalates sectional tensions. When black rights are obliterated by the Dred Scott decision, the direct action strategies increasingly favored by black abolitionists gain support in the North as the country moves closer toward civil war. Which faction will win: pro-slavery, free-soil (controlled slavery), or abolitionist?
CURRICULUM LINKSAbolitionist Mobement
Civil War
Compromise of 1850
Constitution
Dred Scott Decision
Emancipation Proclamation
Fugitive Slave Law (1850)
Gold Rush
Westward Expansion
NOTABLE PEOPLECharles Ball
John Brown
Anthony Burns
Pierce Butler
Frederick Douglass
William Lloyd Garrison
Harriet Jacobs
Fanny Kemble
Nat Turner
David Walker
Part 4: Narrative | Resource Bank Contents | Teacher's Guide
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