-
Missouri Compromise
Missouri entered as a slave state and Maine as free, keeping a balance.
It temporarily calmed tensions but revealed the deepening divide over slavery in new territories -
Underground Railroad
A secret network of routes and safe houses helped enslaved people escape to freedom in the North.
It angered slaveholders and led to stricter laws like the Fugitive Slave Act, increasing national tension. -
Fugitive Slave Act
Required citizens to help return escaped slaves and punished those who helped them. No trial was given to fugitives.
Northerners were outraged and more joined the abolitionist cause, deepening sectional conflict. -
Harriet Beecher Stowe & Uncle Tom’s Cabin
Stowe’s novel exposed the cruelty of slavery, especially the breakup of slave families. It became a bestseller.
It inspired anti-slavery feelings in the North and outraged the South, increasing sectional division. -
Formation of the Republican Party
Created by anti-slavery groups, the Republican Party opposed the expansion of slavery into new territories.
The South saw the party as a threat to slavery, and its rise increased political tension. -
Bleeding Kansas
Pro and anti-slavery groups clashed violently in Kansas over whether it would allow slavery.
It showed that popular sovereignty wouldn’t work and proved the slavery issue was turning violent. -
Harper’s Ferry
Abolitionist John Brown led a failed raid on a federal arsenal to start a slave rebellion. He was captured and hanged.
The South feared more violent uprisings and blamed Northern abolitionists, worsening tensions. -
Abraham Lincoln
Lincoln gained fame through debates with Stephen Douglas, where he opposed slavery’s expansion.
His views united many in the North but made him a hated figure in the South even before his presidency. -
Election of 1860
Lincoln won the presidency without any Southern electoral votes. The South felt politically powerless.
His victory caused Southern states to secede, leading directly to the Civil War.