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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise attempted to balance free and slave states by admitting Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, drawing a line across the Louisiana Territory to limit slavery's expansion. -
Nat Turner's Rebellion
Nat Turner led a violent slave rebellion in Virginia, resulting in harsher laws for slaves and growing fear of uprisings in the South, heightening tensions between pro- and anti-slavery factions. -
Wilmot Proviso
David Wilmot proposed legislation to prohibit slavery in any territory gained from the Mexican-American War. Although it failed, it sparked debate on slavery's expansion and inflamed sectional divisions. -
Compromise of 1850
This package of laws admitted California as a free state, implemented a stricter Fugitive Slave Act, and allowed new territories to decide on slavery, intensifying sectional conflicts. -
Uncle Tom's Cabin Published
Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel highlighted the brutality of slavery, fueling abolitionist sentiment in the North and angering the South, which saw it as an attack on its way of life. -
Kansas-Nebraska Act
This act allowed residents of Kansas and Nebraska to decide on slavery, nullifying the Missouri Compromise. It led to violent clashes in "Bleeding Kansas" and increased divisions. -
Dred Scott Decision
The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and had no right to sue, and that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories, angering the North and strengthening the South's position. -
Lincoln-Douglas Debates
During the Illinois Senate race, Abraham Lincoln debated Stephen Douglas on slavery, with Lincoln opposing its expansion. The debates brought national attentions to Lincoln and his anti-slavery stance. -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown attempted to start an armed slave revolt by seizing a federal arsenal in Virginia. The failed raid heightened fears in the South and rallied abolitionists in the North. -
Election of Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln's election as president, despite his anti-slavery stance, led Southern states to feel threatened, sparking secession and, ultimately, the Civil War.