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After the Mexican American War ended, the US had the west coast to fill. The government wasn’t sure if slavery would expand into the territory with the south being pro- slaves and the north being anti- slaves. It was passed for California to stay a free state, but the congress had an angered south. The government drafted the first Compromise and it was denied in 1849 by Henry Clay, but when Douglas stepped up to assist with the document he got it passed by congress on January 29, 1850. -
Stephen Douglas, the senator of Illinois, divided the land west of Missouri into two states- Kansas and Nebraska. He argued of popular sovereignty, but the anti- slaves were against because of the Missouri compromise of 1820. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed on May 30,1854 and both parties went straight to Kansas for the first election since the law had been set. The conflict became violent which triggered the split between the north and south on the issue of slavery. -
In 1854 Kansas was given the nickname “Bleeding Kansas” because of the violence from the Kansas-Nebraska Act. This was a small civil war between pro and antislavery parties. A proslavery mob flooded into Lawrence, where they burned a hotel. Attacks continued throughout the US because of the struggle to determine whether the state was slavery ensued. The Lecompton Constitution was proposed in 1857. Kansas was finally a free state in 1861 with an antislavery Republican Party formed for election. -
Charles Sumner gave a speech called “The Crime Against Kansas” where he called out everyone in Missouri and then stated Senator Butler was an imbecile. Preston Brooks, who was a distant cousin of Andrew Butler thought he took his speech too far. He took it into his own hands by showing up to Sumner’s Office two days later and repeatedly hit him over the head with a cane. Brooks was fined $300 for the assault and Sumner experienced physical and psychological trauma, but was still re-elected. -
Dred Scott, an enslaved black man, sued for him and his wife’s freedom because they claimed they were free due to living in a free state. This turned into an 11 year law suit which Scott ended up losing and then filled out a new federal suit to go to the Supreme Court. Slavery became the biggest political issue in America. The majority opinion of the court turned out to say that since enslaved people weren’t citizens of the US they could not be protected by the government. -
A series of debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, campaigning for one of Illinois senate seats. The two agreed to debate in 7 of the 9 Illinois congressional districts. They went back and forth in a timely manner, with Douglas starting 4 of the times as the incumbent. Lincoln did lose, but the debates lushed him closer to becoming president. -
October 16 1859- John Brown and a small group of his came out of hiding traveled to the town of Harper’s Ferry to begin a war against slavery. Brown and his men captured and killed citizens. They had hoped slaves would join in, but that was not the case. The next day US marines arrived killing many of the raiders and captured Brown. He was put on trial and got the death sentence, where he was hanged for his crimes on December 2nd. -
Abraham Lincoln was nominated as the Republican candidate while John Bell was running as a candidate for the Constitutional union party. The northern democrats nominated Stephen Douglas (Lincoln’s long time rival) and the southern democrats nominated John C. Breckinridge. The main issue with the election was slavery. The Democratic Party split over the issue of slavery. Lincoln was against slavery but has claimed he would leaver it untouched in the south. Lincoln won president in November.