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The Compromise of 1850 was meant to calm tensions between the North and South. California became a free state, and the slave trade was banned in Washington D.C.. To satisfy the South, a revised Fugitive Slave Law that made it easier capture escaped enslaved people. Fugitive Slaves weren't surprised, but many Northerners were angry by it because if forced them to help return them, increasing tensions. -
Written be Harriet Beecher Stowe, was a novel that showed the harsh realities of slavery. It helped many people in the North, understand how cruel slavery was and made them feel strongly against it. The book became very popular and increased tension between the North and the South because Southerners felt they gave a negative view of their way of life. It played a big role in shaping opinions before the Civil War. -
this began when Kansas wanted to become a state. Stephen Douglas pushed back on how this should happen and suggested the idea of popular sovereignty, meaning the people living in Kansas would decide whether it allowed slavery. Douglas supported making Kansas a state because he wanted to build a railroad that would run through Illinois, Which would benefit him politically and economically. -
He was enslaved man who moved to the states where slavery was banned, hoping to gain freedom. However, the Supreme Court case Dred Scott V. Sandford started in 1857. Chief Justice, Roger B. Taney ruled that all African-Americans, whether free or enslaved were not US citizens and could not sue in court. This decision angered many in the north and increased tension over slavery, pushing the country closer to the Civil War. -
He decided not to run for re-election. His presidency had been marked by increasing tensions over slavery, and many people blamed him for failing to prevent the growing divide between the north and the south. His decision opened the way for new candidates, including Abraham Lincoln, who will go on to win the presidency and face secession crisis that led to the Civil War.