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What happened:
A set of laws meant to ease tensions between free and slave states after the Mexican American War. It admitted California as a free state and strengthened the Fugitive Slave Act, requiring citizens to help capture escaped enslaved people.
How it led to war:
The harsh Fugitive Slave Act angered Northerners, who resented being forced to support slavery. It deepened the divide between North and South. -
What happened:
Pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers clashed violently in Kansas as they tried to influence the vote on slavery. Towns were burned, and people were killed.
Key people: John Brown, an abolitionist, led violent raids against pro-slavery forces.
How it led to war:
It showed that popular sovereignty didn’t solve the slavery issue it caused bloodshed and division. -
What happened:
Proposed by Senator Stephen Douglas, this act let settlers in Kansas and Nebraska vote on whether to allow slavery overturning the Missouri Compromise.
How it led to war:
It reopened the slavery debate in new territories, leading to violent conflict and the creation of the Republican Party, which opposed the spread of slavery. -
What happened:
After anti-slavery Senator Charles Sumner gave a speech attacking Southern leaders, pro-slavery Congressman Preston Brooks beat him with a cane on the Senate floor.
How it led to war:
The attack symbolized how violent the national conflict over slavery had become and outraged Northerners, while Southerners praised Brooks. -
What happened:
A series of debates between Abraham Lincoln (Republican) and Stephen Douglas (Democrat) during the Illinois Senate race, mainly over the issue of slavery’s expansion.
How it led to war:
The debates made Lincoln nationally famous for opposing the spread of slavery and highlighted the deep political divisions in the country. -
What happened:
Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on a federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, trying to start a slave revolt. He was captured and executed.
How it led to war:
Southerners saw it as proof that Northerners wanted to destroy their way of life. It made them fear more uprisings and talk of secession grew louder. -
What happened:
Abraham Lincoln was elected president without any Southern electoral votes.
How it led to war:
Southern states saw his victory as a threat to slavery and began to secede from the Union—directly leading to the Civil War. -
What happened:
Supreme Court case where Dred Scott, an enslaved man, sued for his freedom. The Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that Congress couldn’t ban slavery in the territories.
How it led to war:
The decision made slavery legal in all U.S. territories, enraging Northerners and empowering slaveholders