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the missouri compromise
The Missouri Compromise was the first of the major 19th-century attempts by Congress intended to ease regional tensions over the issue of enslavement. it only served to postpone the eventual crisis that would ultimately divide the nation and lead to the Civil War. -
the Mexican war ends
With the end of the Mexican War in 1848, America was ceded western territories. These new territories would be admitted as states. -
the fugitive slave act, compromise of 1850
This act forced any federal official who did not arrest a freedom seeker to pay a fine. it prompted more activity along the Underground Railroad as freedom seekers made their way to Canada. -
John Brown raids harpers ferry
John Brown was a dedicated activist who had been involved in anti-enslavement. He led a group of 17, including five Black members, to raid the arsenal located in Harper's Ferry. A small group of followers seized, Brown was tried and hanged for treason -
Abraham Lincoln Is Elected President
With the election of Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln, South Carolina followed by six other states seceded from the Union. Lincoln agreed with the Republican Party that the South was becoming too powerful. Lincoln made it a part of the party platform that enslavement would not be extended to any new territories or states added to the Union. -
the attack on fort Sumter
The crisis over enslavement and secession finally became a shooting war. The federal troops at Fort Sumter had been isolated when South Carolina had seceded from the Union. The newly formed Confederate kept insisting that the troops leave. The attack on Fort Sumter produced no combat casualties. It inflamed passions on both sides, and it meant the Civil War had started.
