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Passed on September 18,1850 by Congress, the fugitive slave act required that slaves be returned to their owners even if they were in a free state. The law further pressured citizens to take sides regarding the issue of slavery. Tensions between the north and south quickly increased, leading to the eventual session of the south and ensuing civil war. -
A mini civil war between pro and anti slavery forces that occurred in Kansas from 1856- 1865. Many northerners intended to prevent slavery at all costs. It emerged from a political and ideological debate over the legality of slavery in the proposed state of Kansas. It led to the establishment of the Republican Party. -
The Supreme Court ruled that Americans of African descent , whether free or slave, were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. The divide between north and south over slavery grew and culminated the secession of southern stars for the union and the creation of the confederate states of America. -
Lincoln and Douglas debated The slavery extension issue in 1858. They were addressing the problem that had divided the nation into two hostile camps that threatened the continued existence of the union. Lincoln insisted, was the issue of right and wrong, and he charged that his opponent was trying to uphold a wrong, Douglas was disturbed by Lincoln effort to resolve a controversial moral question by political means warning that it could lead to civil war. -
An effort by abolitionist John brown to initiate a slave revolt in southern states by taking over the United States arsenal at harpers ferry, Virginia. Although the raid railed, it inflamed sectional tensions and raised the stakes for the 1860 presidential election. Brown’s raid helped make any further accommodation between north and south nearly impossible and thus became an important impetus of the civil war. -
It demonstrated the divisions within the United States just before the civil war. The election was unusual because four strong candidates competed for presidency. They thought Lincoln would abolish slavery, and Lincoln did not win a single southern state in the election. The south knew they had lost the balance of power. Southerners were upset about Lincoln’s election. Confederate soldiers firing on this fourth initiated the civil war.