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America was given western territories when the Mexican War ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. At the time, they didn't know whether these new territories, soon to become states, should be free or support slavery. Congress passed the Compromise of 1850, which allowed some states to choose for themselves (popular sovereignty). This led to tensions as people voiced their opinions.
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The Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850 and was the most controversial section. It forced any official to pay a fine if they didn't arrest a freedom seeker. It caused anti-slavery activists to fight even harder against slavery and caused more people to travel through the Underground Railroad.
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"Uncle Tom's Cabin" was written in 1852 by activist Harriet Beecher Stowe. He wanted to portray the evils of slavery to the public. The book became a best-seller. It changed the way Northerners saw slavery and helped Black activism grow.
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In 1853, when Congress focused on the Kansas-Nebraska territory and how it would be organized into states to come into the Union, there was some confusion. Nebraska was far enough north that it would clearly be a free state, but the status of Kansas was unclear. The citizens of Kansas had to make a decision about whether to be a free state or not. This led to violence as pro-slavery and anti-slavery citizens disagreed.
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During "Bleeding Kansas" on May 21st, 1856, pro-enslavement supporters in Missouri, robbed Lawrence, Kansas, which was a free state. A day later in the Senate, pro-enslavement Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Sen. Charles Sumner with a cane after Sumner gave a speech that criticized pro-enslavement forces for the violence occurring in Kansas.
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In 1857, Dred Scott lost his case that argued that he should be free because he had been held as an enslaved person while living in a free state. The Supreme Court said that his petition wasn't valid because he did not have any property and that he was still an enslaved person even though he was taken by his "owner" into a free state. This event caused arguments and increased the efforts of Black activists in the 19th-century.
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When Kansas was deciding whether it would enter the Union as a free state or one that allowed slaves, the Lecompton Constitution was created, which would potentially allow Kansas to be a state that practiced enslavement. A lot of people who were pro-slavery tried to get the acceptance of Congress to pass this Constitution, but there was also a lot of opposition. In 1858, it was sent back to Kansas for a vote. Eventually, Kansas voters rejected this Constitution and became a free state.
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In 1858, Democratic Senator Stephen Douglas and Abraham Lincoln were running for Senate in Illinois and had seven widely watched public debates about slavery. In the end, Douglas won the senate race, but these debates helped Lincoln gain more fame, enabling his nomination for president in 1860. In contrast, the arguments Douglas made in these debates destroyed his chances of becoming president.
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John Brown, who was an anti-enslavement activist in Kansas, led a group of 17 people on Oct. 16th, 1859 to raid the arsenal in Harper's Ferry, Virginia (now WVA). He wanted to start an uprising led by enslaved people using these stolen weapons. Eventually, after raiding several buildings, Brown and his supporters were surrounded, killed, or captured by Col. Robert E. Lee's Troops. Brown was hanged for treason. This event added more tension among people who were anti and pro-slavery.
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South Carolina and six other states seceded from the Union after the Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln was made president on Nov 6th, 1860. Lincoln's views of slavery were considered moderate during his presidential campaign, but South Carolina feared his motives. Lincoln agreed with the Republican Party that the South was becoming too powerful, and said he would not extend enslavement to any new territories or states added to the Union.
