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The compromise of 1850
The compromise of 1850 allowed California to enter the Union as a free state, established new territories of Utah and New Mexico where residents would decide on slavery through popular sovereignty, defined Texas's borders, and enacted a stricter Fugitive Slave Act (Allowed return of runaway slaves). It failed to stop slave expansion and polarized North and South even more. -
Kansas- Nebraska
The Kansas-Nebraska Act repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. The Kansas-Nebraska Act significantly contributed to the Civil War by repealing the Missouri Compromise, which had previously prohibited slavery in most of the Louisiana Purchase north of the 36°30' parallel, effectively reopening the debate about slavery in the territories -
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Bleeding Kansas
Bleeding Kansas was a period of violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery groups in Kansas Territory from 1854 to 1861. Bleeding Kansas led to the Civil War by significantly escalating tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in the United States. -
Deed Scott vs. Stanford
In this ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court stated that enslaved people were not citizens of the United States and, therefore, could not expect any protection from the federal government or the courts. The Dred Scott v. Sandford case significantly contributed to the Civil War by ruling that enslaved people were not considered US citizens and that Congress could not prohibit slavery in territories, effectively invalidating the Missouri Compromise and deeply dividing the nation along sectional lines -
Lincoln-Douglass debate
The debates consisted of Douglas accusing Lincoln of being an abolitionist while Lincoln accused Douglas of wanting to nationalize slavery. Whilethe Lincoln-Douglas debates did not directly contribute to the Civil War, they played a crucial role in shaping public opinion, highlighting the divide between the North and the South on the issue of slavery, and ultimately contributing to the growing tensions that led to the outbreak of the war. -
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John Brown’s Raid
An effort by abolitionist John Brown, from October 16 to 18, 1859, to initiate a slave revolt in Southern states by taking over the United States arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry and his execution further polarized North and South and made a resolution of the slavery issue the center of national debate. -
Election Of Abe Lincoln
The Republican Party ticket of Abraham Lincoln and Hannibal Hamlin won a national popular plurality, a popular majority in the North where states had already abolished slavery, and a national electoral majority comprising only Northern electoral votes. The election of 1860 proved to be the breaking point for an already unstable nation. By Lincoln's inauguration in March, 1861, seven states from the Deep South had already left the Union.