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Admitted California as free state, ended slavery in Washington DC, and created the Utah and New Mexico territories. Since these new territories were not yet free nor slave, it was up to popular sovereignty, which erased the Missouri Compromise.
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Declared that any escaped slaves had to be returned to their owner, even if they were caught in a free state. This catalyzed the abolitionist movement, as northerners strongly disliked this law.
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An abolitionist novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe. It's publication was a look into the life of a slave, opening peoples' eyes to the issue.
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Created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, and repealing the Missouri Compromise. This opened up new land to settle and its status of free or slave was to be determined by popular sovereignty.
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After making some provactive comments, Northern Senator Charles Sumner was attacked by Southern Congressman Preston Brooks. The incident exemplified the growing hostility between the divison of the country.
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The convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1856 officially created the Republican party, with the hopes of stopping pro-slavery views from overriding the North. This party is one that Abraham Lincoln would identify with.
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Former slave Dred Scott sued his former owner, John Sandford, for his freedom. The court ruled that Scott did not have the right to sue, as he was not considered an American citizen due to his slave status. This strengthened northern slave abolition.
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John Brown led a small army of 18 men into the town of Harper's Ferry, Virginia, planning to create a slave rebellion in the south. This caused further distain of northerners in the south's eyes.
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Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election of 1860 against Breckinridge, Bell, and Douglas. He noted that a house divided against itself would not stand, which was almost an immediate cause of the Civil War.
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General P.G.T. Beauregard, in command of the Confederate forces around Charleston Harbor, opened fire on the Union garrison holding Fort Sumter. These are considered the first shots of the Civil War.
