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Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise and helped balance the differences between slave states and free states. When Missouri wanted to enter the Union as a slave state in the Northern territory, the Northerners got mad. Which caused Henry Clay to to settle everything down and make Maine a free state, and made Arkansas open to slavery. -
The Nullification Crisis
Southern states didn't like tariffs and thought they were unfair and only helped North. The vice president at the time said any state could not listen to a federal law it doesn't like. The federal government had declined South Caroline's argument to reject a law. South Caroline then threatened to secede. Henry Clay then came up with an idea and lowered the tariffs. -
Compromise of 1860
Congress was going through many problems. The new areas that had been gotten through winning the war with Mexico would be either free or slave states which caused the problems. Henry Clay then came in again so solve that problem. California would be a free state and the slave trade would be abolished in Washington. Congress then didn't pass any laws banning slavery from territories gotten from Mexico. -
Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
The Fugitive Slave Law was passed for runaway slaves. When a lot of slaves had started escaping to the North. The South wanted their slaves back. The Congress then agreed to capture any runaway slaves who had fled to the North. Abolitionists then realized that they needed a lot of support to end slavery. Which made it harder for abolitionists. This led to John Brown's Raid which led to the Civil War. -
Bleeding Kansas 1855
In 1854 the Kansas-Nebraska Act overturned the Missouri Compromise Act, and used popular sovereignty. Because of the pro-slavery and anti-slavery people came into Kansas to control the decisions. The anti-slavery government was then attacked by supporters of slavery. John Brown led the anti-slavery people to avenge the attack the pro-slavery people had done. -
Dred Scott Decision
Dred Scott had been a slave who has sued the South for his freedom. He claimed that because he lived in a free territory he should be free. The court then had said that Dred Scott is the property of his owner which could not be taken without due process of law which made him lose the case. -
Attack on Harpers Ferry
John Brown had wanted slaves to fight for their freedom. He planned to take the arsenal at the army base in Harpers Ferry in Virginia to arm the salves for war. When Brown asked slaves to join very few joined. His team was captured and 10 of them were killed. Abolitionists still honored John Brown for trying. -
The Election of 1860
Abraham Lincoln wins the election against John Breckinridge, Stephen Douglass, and John Bell. Lincoln has said to the South that he would do nothing to abolish slavery in the South. The South has still not trusted him, but he had won by the electoral votes. Slowly the southern states began to secede from the Union.
