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The Missouri Compromise was a crucial agreement that maintained the balance between free and slave states. Missouri was admitted as a slave state, while Maine joined as a free state. The compromise also prohibited slavery in the northern portion of the Louisiana Territory above the 36°30' parallel, except for Missouri. More info at archives.com.

HOT question: When did the Missouri compromise happen? In 1820

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In this landmark court case, the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled that slave owners could not be prosecuted for harming their slaves. The case involved John Mann, who shot a slave named Lydia when she tried to escape punishment. The ruling reinforced the absolute power of slave owners and demonstrated the legal system's support of slavery. More info at Northcarolinahistory.org

HOT question: What was the reason the court sided with the John Mann? Because slave owners have permission to do what they want with their slaves meaning they have full control over their slaves.

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South Carolina threatened to nullify federal tariffs and secede from the Union. President Andrew Jackson responded firmly, declaring nullification unconstitutional and threatening to use military force. The crisis was resolved with a compromise tariff but highlighted growing tensions between federal authority and states' rights. More info at thehermitage.com

HOT question:Why did this happen? Because now South Carolina couldn't buy goods for as cheap as they could before therefore cutting into their profits.

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Representative David Wilmot proposed banning slavery in any territory acquired from Mexico following the Mexican-American War. While the proviso never passed the Senate, it intensified sectional divisions and debates over the expansion of slavery into new territories acquired by the US. More info at battlefields.org.

HOT question: How would this have created sectional divisions if accepted? Because there would have been more free slave states than slave states which would give them more representation.

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The Free Soil Party was established with the slogan 'Free Soil, Free Speech, Free Labor, Free Men.' Though short-lived, this party's main view was that they opposed slavery. More info at Brittanica.com.

HOT question: Where was this party formed? In Buffalo, New York

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This series of bills admitted California as a free state, created Utah and New Mexico territories with popular sovereignty, ended the slave trade in Washington D.C., and established a stricter Fugitive Slave Law. The compromise temporarily eased tensions but ultimately pleased neither North nor South. More info at battlefields.org

HOT question: How would you describe what this accomplished? I think that this eased some of the tension between the North and South regarding slavery while not letting either side get the satisfaction and the upper hand that they want

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Part of the Compromise of 1850, this controversial law required citizens to assist in capturing escaped slaves and imposed heavy penalties for helping them. The act angered many Northerners, increased support for abolition, and led to greater resistance through the Underground Railroad. More info at battlefields.org.

HOT question: How did the north react to this? The people in the North didn't want to help the people in the south catch slaves so the abolitionist movement grew due to the South angering the Northerners.

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This act, proposed by Stephen A. Douglas, established Kansas and Nebraska territories and repealed the Missouri Compromise by allowing popular sovereignty to determine slavery's status. The law effectively nullified the 36°30' parallel restriction and led to violent conflicts in Kansas. More info at senate.gov.

HOT question: How did the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 contribute to the escalation of sectional tensions between the North and the South in the United States, and how did it influence the eventual outbreak of the Civil War? The act completely disregarded the missouri compromise which made it possible for slavery to expand north and it angered the North causing the North and South to be even more divided.

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Violence erupted in Kansas Territory between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers. The Sack of Lawrence (May 1856) by pro-slavery forces and the Pottawatomie Massacre (May 1856) by John Brown's anti-slavery group highlighted the increasing violence over the slavery issue. More info at History.com.

HOT question: In what ways did the conflicts in Bleeding Kansas exemplify the more broader national division over slavery, and how did these events influence political and social movements in the United States that led up to the Civil War? Bleeding Kansas highlighted the deep national divisions over slavery, with violent conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery settlers caused by the more broader sectional divide. These events intensified political polarization and foreshadowed the Civil War, showing that legal compromises could no longer contain the issue of slavery.

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The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans, free or enslaved, were not U.S. citizens and therefore had no right to sue in federal court. The decision also declared the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional, effectively allowing slavery in all territories. This decision intensified sectional tensions and pushed the nation closer to civil war. More info at archives.gov.

HOT question: How did the Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) exacerbate sectional tensions in the United States, and what were the long-term implications of the ruling for the legal and social status of African Americans leading up to the Civil War? The Supreme Court's decision in Dred Scott v. Sandford ruled that African Americans could not be American citizens and invalidated the Missouri Compromise, which deepened sectional tensions. This decision heightened the divide between the North and South and contributed to the events leading up to the Civil War.

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A series of seven debates between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas during the Illinois Senate campaign. Though Douglas won the Senate seat, Lincoln's articulate arguments against the expansion of slavery gained him national recognition and helped pave his way to the presidency in 1860. More info at nps.gov.

HOT question: How did the Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 shape the national discourse on slavery and states' rights, and what impact did these debates have on the political careers of Abraham Lincoln and Stephen A. Douglas, and the future of the United States? The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858 brought national attention to issues of slavery and states' rights, contrasting Lincoln's anti-slavery views with Douglas's support for popular sovereignty. The debates boosted Lincoln's political profile and helped pave the way for his presidency, while they weakened Douglas's political standing. These debates intensified national tensions over slavery, contributing to the events leading up to the Civil War.

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Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia, hoping to spark a slave uprising. The raid failed, and Brown was captured, tried for treason, and executed. His actions and martyrdom intensified sectional tensions and pushed the nation closer to civil war. More info at nps.gov.

HOT question: In what ways did John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry and his subsequent trial and execution influence the national conversation on abolition and the polarization of the United States in the years leading up to the Civil War? John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry and his subsequent trial and execution intensified the national debation on abolition, made sectional divides worse, and polarized public opinion. Brown's actions inspired many abolitionists, struck fear into the hearts of Southerners, forced the nation to confront the issue of slavery, and even contributed to the events leading up to the Civil War.