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fugitive slave act and compromise of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Act, which was strengthened under the Compromise of 1850 and was nearly universally despised by Northerners, was also introduced. This law made it mandatory for the federal government to assist in the apprehension of freed Black people and criminalized free individuals who helped them escape their previous slavery. -
1854 Kansas-Nebraska Act
The Missouri Compromise of 1820 was effectively repealed by the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which established the territories of Kansas and Nebraska, opened up new lands for settlement, and gave settlers in those territories the ability to decide whether or not to allow slavery. -
Bleeding Kansas
Pro-slavery, Free-Staters, and abolitionists were the three main political factions in Kansas. Right away, fighting began out between these opposing groups, and it continued up until January 29, 1861, when Kansas became a free state and joined the Union. This period is now commonly known as Bleeding Kansas -
Preston Brooks vs Charles Sumner 1856
As retribution, South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks attacked Sumner at his desk in the Senate Chamber, beating him with a heavy walking stick until the senator was left bleeding and unconscious on the floor of the chamber. -
1857 Dred Scott vs Sandford
Abolitionists felt that the Supreme Court's decision in the Dred Scott case was an attempt to put an end to discussion of slavery in the territories, which enraged them. The Confederate States of America was founded when southern states broke away from the Union as a result of the growing division between the North and South over slavery. -
The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858
Despite losing the race, Lincoln's national profile rose as a result of these discussions, which ultimately helped him win the presidency of the United States. In seven of the nine Congressional Districts in Illinois, Douglas had not already spoken, thus Lincoln and Douglas agreed to debate in those seven districts. -
1859 John Browns raid on Harpers Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown and a party of his friends left their farmhouse hideout that evening to travel to Harpers Ferry on October 16, 1859. Invading the town in the early hours of October 17th, Brown and his men took important individuals hostage and seized the federal arsenal and armory. -
1860 election of Abraham Lincoln
The election of 1860, which signaled the abolition of slavery and coincided with a period of extraordinary violence in the country, had a significant impact on the future of the United States. Lincoln's reelection in 1864 ensured that he would continue to lead the country during the struggle.