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Uncle Tom’s Cabin, written by Harriet Beecher Stowe’s, portrayed the cruelty of slavery and humanity of the enslaved. It became the bestseller novel in the North increasing abolitionist sentiments, but controversial in the South as they found it as an attack of their beliefs and lives increasing the feelings of persecution. -
A violence and bloodshed that occurred in Kansas. The event established popular sovereignty, which the states had to vote whether or not slave should be free. This demonstrated that popular sovereignty was a failed policy and that the violence over slavery had turned into a war on American soil, resulting the nations to become divided. -
The formation of the Republican Party, which its main core was to prevent the expansion of slavery into west territories. This threatened the South's economic and political power, as most of the Republican's supporters were from the North. This signaled a unified Northern political front which was dedicated to containing slavery.
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The Act introduced popular sovereignty to the new territories, by abolishing the Missouri Compromise. It created a rush by the pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers to take control over Kansas. They did this to show that the debate over slavery will never be peacefully resolved. -
The "incident" of the brutal canning of Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor which symbolized the breakdown of political civility. After the attack, the North viewed it as barbaric, meanwhile the South saw it as a justified defense of their honor, resulting into a violent divide. -
Democrat James Buchanan wins the election, but the significant outcome of the election was the performance of the newly founded Republican Party. Their succession centered on an anti-slavery expansion platform, which demonstrated that the deep sectional divide of the nation and the growing power of a political force committed to the oppose of slavery. -
The Supreme Court ruling that denied citizenship to African Americans and it declared to Congress that they couldn't ban slavery in the territories. This validated the Southerner's position while the North became furious. The North saw the ruling as unconstitutional to force slavery onto the nations. -
LeCompton Constitution was an attempt to force a pro-slavery constitution on Kansas emphasizing the dishonesty and division within the government. Even though some Democratics opposed the movement. -
Abraham Lincoln states that the nation could not exist half-slave and half-free. This speech articulated the fundamental split of the country. This raised the stake of the Douglass and Lincoln debate from political issues to a national surviving one forcing Americans to choose sides.
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A series of seven debates between Stephen A. Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. These debates boosted Lincoln's national prominence and deepened a split within the Democratic Party over Douglas's stance on slavery. -
Abolitionist John Brown led an armed raid on a federal armory on Harper's Ferry, Virginia. The cause of the raid was to hope to incite a slave rebellion. The raid failed, but it grew tensions by making Brown a martyr in the North and a symbol of violet in the South. -
Abolitionist John Brown was executed by hanging for his failed raid on Harpers Ferry. His death made him a martyr in the North, but a symbol of violence in the South. This pushed the nations closer to war. -
Lincoln won the election without a single electoral vote from the South. The South saw his election as the end of their political influence and a direct threat to the institution of slavery. Making them believe that secession was their only option. -
Lincoln plead for peace while also stating that the Union was perpetual which showed that Lincoln was not going to accept secession. This made it certain that any further rebellion would lead to war. -
This act left the Union with the culmination of all prior tensions. The Southern states rejected the authority of the federal government as they believed that they were not going to protect their interests, viewing secession as their only right.