-
The Compromise is a series of five laws passed to defuse the conflict between the North and South over slavery , mainly concerning new territories gained from the Mexican-American War. The Fugitive Slave act was a federal law that strengthened earlier legislation by requiring the return of escaped enslaved people to their owners, regardless of where they were captured in the United States. -
A U.S. law that organized the Kansas and Nebraska territories and effectively repealed Missouri Compromise by allowing residents to vote on whether allow slavery in their territorios through popular sovereignty. -
A series of violent civil conflicts in the Kansas territory from 1854 to 1861 between pro-slavery and anti-slavery supporters. -
South Carolina Representative Preston attacked and caned Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner on the Senate floor because Sumner had delivered a speech criticizing pro-slavery senators, including Brooks’ relative. Brooks beat Sumner repeatedly with a cane while Sumner was at his desk, severely injuring him and forcing him to be absent from the Senate for three years to recover. -
The United States Supreme Court upheld slavery in United States territories, denied the legality of black citizenship in America, and declared the Missouri Compromised to be unconstitutional. -
Douglas championed popular sovereignty, arguing that settlers should decide on slavery for themselves in new territories, while Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery, viewing it as a moral wrong that should eventually be abolished. Despite losing the election, Lincoln’s performance elevated his national profile and set the stage for his 1860 presidential run. -
John Brown’s raid on Harpers Ferry was an attempt by the abolitionist John Brown and his men to seize a federal armory to incite a save uprising. The raid failed when local militia and U.S. Marines, led by Colonel Robert E. Lee, surrounded and captured the raiders. Brown was convicted of treason and hanged, becoming a martyr for abolitionists while horrifying the South and further escalating the sectional tensions that led to the Civil War. -
The election which brought Abraham Lincoln to the presidency, was a pivotal event that triggered the secession of Southern states and led directly to the American Civil War. The election featured four major candidates and highlighted the deep sectional divisions over slavery.