1817–1861 - Growth and Turmoil

Key facts about the Senate Committee of Thirteen.

The Committee of Thirteen was a select committee of U.S. Senators formed in December 1860 to craft a compromise agreement between the slaveholding and non-slaveholding states to stem the secession movement and save the Union.

Key facts about the House Committee of Thirty-three.

The Committee of Thirty-three was a select committee of the House of Representatives established on December 4, 1860 to explore possibilities for resolving the nation's secession crisis.

Key facts about the Compromise of 1850.

The Compromise of 1850 was a collection of Congressional legislation proposed by Kentucky Senator Henry Clay to resolve sectional issues in the United States regarding slavery after the Mexican-American War.

The Conscience Whigs were an antislavery faction within the Whig Party in New England during the 1840s who sought to end slavery by working within the American political system. They played an important role in the establishment of the Free Soil Party, the precursor to the Republican Party.

The Cotton Whigs were Northern Whigs in the 1840s who supported the status quo, property rights, and the Union. They opposed Abolitionists and sought to maintain economic ties with Southern Whigs who owned plantations.

Key facts about the Crittenden Compromise, an unsuccessful eleventh-hour attempt to save the Union and to avoid the American Civil War.

Proposed by Kentucky Senator John J. Crittenden on December 18, 1860, the Crittenden Compromise, also known as the Crittenden Plan, was an unsuccessful eleventh-hour attempt to save the Union and to avoid the American Civil War, but the agreement was never adopted by the Senate.

David “Davy” Crockett was a legendary American folk hero, nicknamed the “King of the Wild Frontier.” He is most well-known for the “tall tales,” told about his exploits, his real-life opposition to the treatment of Native American Indians, and his untimely, heroic death at the Battle of the Alamo.

William Richardson Davie was an American Revolutionary War Hero, a Founding Father, and the 10th Governor of North Carolina.

Frederick Douglass was an escaped slave who became a highly acclaimed orator and writer supporting the abolition of slavery before the Civil War and the enactment of African American rights during Reconstruction. He is recognized as an icon of the pre-war Abolition Movement in the United States.

Key facts about the Dred Scott v. Sandford U.S. Supreme Court case.

The Dred Scott Decision was a historic ruling issued by the United States Supreme Court in 1857 that declared that people of African descent, were not citizens of the United States and that Congress had no Constitutional authority to regulate slavery in U.S. territories.

Drifting Toward Disunion covers a brief period when sectional differences in the United States over slavery led to violence in Kansas and the floor of the U.S. Congress. This includes the Election of 1856, the rise of Abraham Lincoln, and the fall of Stephen Douglas — all leading to the fateful Election of 1860 and the start of the Secession Crisis. No person embodied this turbulent time more than the fierce Abolitionist, John Brown.

The Era of Good Feelings followed the Jeffersonian Era. It was an era of economic prosperity and geographic expansion, driven by the American System and the Monroe Doctrine. The era is closely associated with President James Monroe, the establishment of the Second Party System, the rise of Andrew Jackson, and the rise of Sectionalism. The Era of Good Feelings was followed by the Jacksonian Era.

The Ferment of Reform and Culture discusses the social movements that grew out of the Second Great Awakening. The main movements focused on temperance, women’s rights, education, and abolition.

Thirteenth President of the United States, Millard Fillmore, was the last Whig president and the last U.S. President not affiliated with either the Democratic or Republican parties.

Thomas “Broken Hand” Fitzpatrick was an Irish-born Frontiersman, fur trader, and businessman who played an important role in the Western Fur Trade. He is most famous for his years trapping and exploring alongside legendary Mountain Men like William Henry Ashley, Jedediah Smith, and Jim Bridger.