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Missouri Compromise
To keep the Senate equal, Missouri became a slave and Maine became a free state. The line '36-30' was established to decide whether future states would slave states or free states. -
Fugitive Slave Act
This Act forced American citizens to help catch runaway slaves in addition to preventing their escape. A special court was also assigned these runaway cases and had extra incentive to send slaves back to slavery rather than free them. -
Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 allowed for California to become a free state as well as creating the New Mexico and Utah territories which could vote on slavery. In addition to this they stopped the slave trade in Washington D.C.. While the North liked the addition of California they were upset at this time over the Fugitive Slave Act which also occured in 1850. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Uncle Tom's Cabin was an anti-slavery novel written by Beecher to illustrate the evils of slavery along with the injustice of the Fugitive Slave Act. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This Act, passed in 1854, created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed each of these states to vote on slavery. Many people saw this as good but Northerners still saw this as bad because it could allow for more slave states. -
Dred Scott Case
Dred Scott, a slave from Missouri, filed a lawsuit claiming he was a freeman as multiple of his owners died and he eventually ended in a free state. When this case reached the Supreme Court they reached the conclusion Scott could not file a lawsuit because he is not a citizen and decided banning slavery was unconstitutional. This caused even greater divide in the country. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
Brown was a radical abolitionist who led a raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859. Brown's goal was to start a revolt among the slaves although it failed and he was charged with murder and treason in court. -
Election of 1860
The election of 1860 held many candidates from all sides that opposed Lincoln although he ended up winning the election. This election took place shortly after the Republican Party was formed, the party Lincoln was with, and caused many southerners to feel they had little or no say in federal elections. -
South Carolina Secedes
In 1860 South Carolina, with a sense of lack of unity, decided to leave or secede from the United States and was one of the first states to do so.