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Missouri Compromise
On March 3, 1820, Congress passed a bill granting Missouri statehood as a slave state under the condition that slavery would be prohibited in any state purchased by the Louisiana Purchase above the 36'30' line. In addition, Maine was granted statehood as a free state under the compromise. This compromise helped create a balance between the north and the south.
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Compromise of 1850
On January 29, 1850, the slavery laws in the land obtained by the Mexican-American War was determined. California was granted statehood as a free state. The New Mexico and Utah territories were established and granted popular sovereignty. This meant that the slave status of these territories were determined by the popular vote of the residents within those territories.
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Fugitive Slave Act of 1850
On September 18, 1850, congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. This Slave Act was passed in reaction to the increased use of the Underground Railroad and the rise in anti-slavery riots across the United States. This act forced citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves. It also denied slaves the right to a jury trial and increased the penalty for aiding slaves to $1000 and 6 months in jail.
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Kansas-Nebraska Act
On May 30, 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed. This act mandated that new states, Kansas and Nebraska in this instance, determine their own slave status through popular sovereignty. This act created conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers and led to the period of violence known as Bleeding Kansas. This was also one of the events that paved the way for the Civil War.
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Dred Scott Case
In March, 1857, Dred Scott a slave who had lived with his owner in a free state before returning to the slave state of Missouri. He argued that his time spent in these locations entitled him to emancipation. The court found that no black, free or slave, could claim U.S. citizenship. This meant that no black people could petition for freedom, regardless of their slave status.
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