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Fugitive Slave Act
The Fugitive Slave Act stated that runaway slaves escaped to the north must be returned to the south. Oftentimes, free black people would be kidnapped and taken to the south to work on plantations. This forced northerners to confront their view on slavery, as the "out of sight out of mind" mindset would not work anymore. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Publication
Written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, Uncle Tom's Cabin is a book about the evils of slavery. It became really popular among northern states, and showed many people how terrible slavery really was. (Harriet Beecher Stowe pictured below) -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Kansas-Nebraska act was made to sort out the Kansas and Nebraska territories. It repealed the Missouri Compromise, which took away the latitude line. It was decided that both Kansas and Nebraska would be states, and the issue of slavery would be up to popular sovereignty. However, when votes were held, people from neighboring slave states would vote illegally to throw the vote. This triggered what we call "Bleeding Kansas" -
The Dred Scott Decision
The Dred Scott Decision was made by Chief Justice Roger Taney after Dred Scott, a slave, sued his owner with the argument that he should be free, as they were living on free land. Chief Justice Roger Taney ruled not only that Dred Scott would not be free, but also that black people would not be considered citizens of the U.S. (Dred Scott pictured below) -
The Election of 1860
The four people running in the Election of 1860 were Abraham Lincoln, Stephen Douglas, John Breckinridge, and John Bell. Both Stephen Douglas and John Breckinridge were from the democratic party, but because of the disagreements with in the Democratic party, Breckinridge was from the deep south and Douglas was from the north. Lincoln was well-known for his debates with Stephen Douglas, and was against slavery. North Carolina officially seceded from the U.S. after Lincoln won the election.