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The Missouri Compromise
The Missouri Compromise was an agreement passed by Congress to maintain the balance of power between slave and free states. It admitted Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, and prohibited slavery north of the 36 30 parallel. It was significant because it temporarily quelled the conflict between North and South, but it also showed that the divide was getting deeper over the issue of slavery
Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missouri_Compromise -
The Compromise of 1850
This set of laws aimed to diffuse the tension between slave and free states following the Mexican-American War. It admitted California as a free state, enacted a stricter fugitive slave law, and allowed for popular sovereignty in new territories
Image: https://www.ushistory.org/us/30d.asp -
The Kansas-Nebraska Act
This allowed residents of the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide whether to allow slavery, nullifying the Missouri Compromise. It directly led to the conflicts of Bleeding Kansas
Image: https://www.ushistory.org/us/31a.asp -
Dred Scott Decision
The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in federal territories. It was significant because it outraged abolitionists and strengthened the anti-slavery movement
Image: https://www.britannica.com/event/Dred-Scott-decision -
John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal armory at Harpers Ferry, intending to start an armed slave revolt. He was captured and executed. It was significant because it intensified Southern fears of a slave uprising and made John Brown a martyr for the abolitionist cause, pushing the nation closer to war
Image: https://nyupress.org/blog/2009/07/02/independence-man-john-browns-raid-150-years-later/