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A law that mandated citizens in free states to help capture runaway slaves, so they could be returned to their slave owners. This helped the South, but Northerners were not happy about it. People in the North were forced to help the government enforce slavery, and they were being told what to do. The U.S Marshall at the time could knock at anyone's door and force them to help find a fugitive slave. Ultimately increasing tensions between North and South once again. -
The Underground Railroad gave enslaved people the chance to escape and try to reach freedom. Those who were willing to risk their lives to gain the freedom they had always wanted also inspired more people to join the slavery abolishment movement. It heightened the tensions of those who were pro or anti-slavery. The Southern states had to get higher enforcement to prevent slaves from leaving. In response, the Fugitive Slave Act was created. (National Park Service) -
A dispute in Pennsylvania where a group of abolitionists and Black residents fought to protect slaves that escaped their slaveowners. The slaveowner was trying to recapture them with the Fugitive Slave Act that was put into place. The slaveowner ended up being killed in the conflict, but no one was convicted. This event showed that the South was really starting to lose control over the enforcement of slavery. The North was repetitively refusing the pro-slavery laws. (Zinn Education Project) -
The democratic nominee, Franklin Pierce, won the presidency over Winfield Scott, the Whig Party nominee. Pierce supported the Kansas-Nebraska Act, ultimately re-starting tensions over slavery in new places. Leading to violent altercations in Kansas. The Whig Party declined after the election, and the Republican Party escalated. The Republican party opposed slavery expansion. This widened the gap between the North and the South, paving the road for the Civil War. (Britannica.com) -
A law was created that caused Kansas and Nebraska to have people in those areas decide whether or not slavery was prohibited or not. It reopened the door to whether slavery should be banned or not. This act was put into place and it overturned the Missouri Compromise, which was put into place and banned slavery in those areas, this ended up increasing tensions between the North and the South. It also led to Bleeding Kansas as well. -
A conflict turned violent over slavery in Kansas, would it would be allowed or not. Due to the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which ultimately let settlers decide if slavery was allowed, there was a lot of tension between anti and pro-slavery groups. One example of violence was the massacre at Pottawatomie Creek where five pro-slavery advocates were killed by John Brown and his sons. The violence divided between the North and South greater, highlighting the failure to compromise(National Park Service) -
James Buchanan won the 1856 election as the Democratic candidate. His plans were to support the policies of protecting slavery, aligning with the South's interests. He overcame John C Frémont, who was the Republic party candidate, who wanted to deny the expansion of slavery. Elizabeth Varon highlights how this election deepened the national divide even more, worsening the rift between the North and South. The growing split led to more and more conflicts, leading to the Civil War.(Varon, 273-281) -
In the Battle Cry of Freedom, the Lecompton Constitution was a document that was written in 1857 by a group of settlers in Kansas who were pro-slavery. A lot of the people in Kansas at the time were anti-slavery, but the purpose was to allow Kansas to enter the Union as a slave state. This ended up creating divisions between the democratic party, so it was rejected. This rejection then made the tensions between the North and South stronger over the issue of slavery. (McPherson, 166-67) -
Dred Scott, an enslaved man, argued for his freedom after moving to anti-slavery territories which man his status as a slave invalid. The Supreme Court heard his case and concluded that Scott was without standing because he was Black and therefore, not a US citizen. The ruling ultimately affected the efforts to end slavery. This decision made Northerners, angry and they thought the South was abusing the system to expand slavery, raising tensions and bringing the nation closer to the Civil War. -
An economic crisis that causes banks to fail, a drop in agriculture prices, and a widespread unemployment, bankruptcies, and businesses closing down. The North suffered the worst of it. The South was not as affected because of the high demand for cotton everywhere. Many people in the North blamed the South for the Panic because the South was so heavily reliant on cotton, and it caused economic instability for them. Tensions rose between the North and the South.(National Park Service) -
It was a 4-way race. With the democratic party being split into two, Stephen Douglas represented the North, and John Breckinridge represented the South. John Bell represented the Constitutional Union Party as well. Lincoln won the election as a republican candidate, yet he was not on the ballot in most of Southern states. The Southerners were scared because they believed that Lincoln was going to try and end slavery. This all eventually was the starting point of the Civil War.
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