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The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
At the end of the Mexican-American War, Mexico ceded its western territories to the United States. With this new land being made part of the U.S., the topic of whether it should be free or allow slavery became heavily debated. This further increased sectionalism within the U.S. -
The Compromise of 1850
The Compromise of 1850 was meant to decrease tensions between the north and south, but it only made things worse. California was admitted as a free state, but the Fugitive Slave Act was more strictly enforced. This made abolitionists angry and they pushed further for the abolition of slavery. -
The Publishing of Uncle Tom's Cabin
Published in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe, this book brought light to the atrocities of slavery. This book became very popular among abolitionists and was even said to be one of the causes of the war by Abraham Lincoln. -
Bleeding Kansas
The Kansas-Nebraska Act allowed Kansas and Nebraska to decide whether they would become free or slave states by popular sovereignty. This lead hundreds of southerners and northerners flocking to Kansas to make this decision. As a result, pro-slavery southerners would kill any abolitionists who tried to enter Kansas. The north was horrified by these acts of violence. -
The Brooks-Sumner Affair
Charles Sumner was a Republican from Massachusetts who was extremely anti-slavery. After the attack upon an abolitionist area in Kansas, Sumner gave an impassioned speech on the atrocities of the south. Southern Democrat Preston Brooks then attacked Sumner after he became angry from a comment he had made. The attack on Charles Sumner only proved to the north that the south was immature and unwilling to fix relations in the country. -
Harper's Ferry
John Brown was a radical abolitionist who lived in Kansas. He was heavily involved in anti-slavery violence, in which he murdered many people. Brown eventually lead a group of 17 men to Virginia, where they attempted to capture the arsenal at Harper's Ferry. They ultimately failed, and John Brown was captured and hung by General Lee's army. -
The Election of Abraham Lincoln
In late 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected as president of the United States. Shortly following this, South Carolina and six other states seceded from the Union. One of the goals of the Republican party was preventing slavery from expanding to new territories. This angered southern slave-owners, because the southern economy heavily relied on slavery. To the southern states, the election of Lincoln meant an end to slavery.