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After the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 proposed by Senator Stephan Douglas, the Emigrant Aid Company was founded. This group of abolitionists tried to make Kansas a free territory by settling there, but many pro-slavery people counteracted this by illegally voting in Kansas' first territorial election. The tension between abolitionists and pro-slavery people led to violence that lasted from 1855 to 1859. On May 21, 1856, the Free State stronghold of Lawrence was stormed by a group of pro-slavery people, which became known as the "Sack of Lawrence." John Brown, an abolitionist, with the help of 7 men, dragged and killed 5 men along Pottawatomie Creek. These acts of violence continued, leading to the deaths of about 55 people in the end. The incidents of violence during this time became known as "Bleeding Kansas." Bleeding Kansas led to the Civil War because of the many disputes that were fought over whether Kansas would enter the Union as a free or slave state. Kansas eventually joined the Union in January of 1861, three months before the Civil War would begin.

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Compromise of 1850 - https://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement/compromise-of-1850

https://guides.loc.gov/compromise-1850

https://www.britannica.com/event/Compromise-of-1850

https://www.ushistory.org/us/30d.asp

Nat Turner's Revolt - https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/nat-turner

https://encyclopediavirginia.org/entries/turners-revolt-nat-1831/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nat-Turner

Bleeding Kansas - https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/bleeding-kansas

https://www.britannica.com/event/Bleeding-Kansas-United-States-history

Missouri Compromise - https://www.history.com/topics/abolitionist-movement/missouri-compromise
https://www.britannica.com/event/Missouri-Compromise

Election of Abraham Lincoln - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/abraham-lincoln-elected-president
https://www.britannica.com/event/United-States-presidential-election-of-1860

Kansas-Nebraska Act - https://www.history.com/topics/19th-century/kansas-nebraska-act
https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/Kansas_Nebraska_Act.htm#:~:text=It%20became%20law%20on%20May,territories%20to%20sway%20the%20vote.

Publication of the Liberator - https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/liberator

https://transcription.si.edu/project/11766#:~:text=The%20Liberator%20(1831%2D1865),influential%20American%20Anti%2DSlavery%20Society.

Invention of the Cotton Gin - https://www.history.com/topics/inventions/cotton-gin-and-eli-whitney

https://www.britannica.com/technology/cotton-gin

Assault of Sumner -https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/minute/The_Caning_of_Senator_Charles_Sumner.htm

https://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/South-Carolina-Representative-Preston-Brooks-s-attack-on-Senator-Charles-Sumner-of-Massachusetts/

Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Uncle-Toms-Cabin

John Brown's Raid - https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/john-browns-raid-on-harpers-ferry
Dred Scott Decision - https://www.britannica.com/event/Dred-Scott-decision

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On May 22, 1856, Senator Charles Sumner, an anti-slavery Republican from Massachusetts, was beaten into unconsciousness by a member of the House of Representatives. Three days before Sumner was beaten, he gave a speech called “Crime Against Kansas”. Sumner talked about two Democratic senators in his speech; one of them was Andrew Butler. Sumner mocked Andrew Butler in his speech because Butler was pro-slavery. Representative Preston Brooks was one of Andrew Butler’s relatives and went against Sumner. Brooks found Sumner in the Senate Chamber doing his work. Brooks took this opportunity and slammed a metal-topped cane onto Sumner’s head over and over again until Sumner was unconscious. People who were pro-slavery thought of Brooks as a hero, while people who were anti-slavery thought Sumner was a hero. This event caused a lot of trouble and disagreement. Tension was created and it eventually led up to the Civil War.

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In 1854, a bill was proposed by Senator Stephen Douglas in Washington D.C. that would organize the Nebraska Territory (soon to be Kansas, Nebraska, Montana, and North and South Dakota). However, this bill was immediately very controversial, leading people to wonder if slavery would be expanded into territories where it was banned before. Douglas knew that to get this bill to pass, he would need proslavery votes. To get these votes, he ended up amending the bill to repeal the Missouri Compromise and split the Nebraska Territory into Kansas and Nebraska. Despite fierce opposition from many abolitionists, this bill was passed in Congress, and on May 30, 1854, President Franklin Pierce signed it into law. Nebraska immediately became a free territory. However, whether slavery would be allowed or not in Kansas was a big debate, which eventually led to "Bleeding Kansas." This led to the Civil War because it fanned the flames of the debate on slavery, intensifying it. It also led to events such as "Bleeding Kansas."

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Nathaniel "Nat" Turner was a slave born on Benjamin Turner's plantation. He believed he was a prophet sent from God. Seeing an eclipse further convinced him that he was the one who would set the slaves free. A rebellion was planned and then rescheduled for August 21, 1831. On this day, he and his group of slaves killed about 55 people in Southhampton County. Afterward, Turner was caught and hanged in Virginia. This event struck fear in the hearts of many Southerners, which led to emancipation efforts failing, harsher laws against slaves, and a widening gap between slaveholders and anti-slavery abolitionists. This widening gap would lead to the Civil War.

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On October 16, 1859, John Brown, the Secret Six, and his army of 22 men, which included 5 black men and 3 of his own sons, started their assault on Harpers Ferry, Maryland. On the first day they attacked the arsenal and captured a few hostages. However, by the morning of October 17, word had spread about Brown's raid, and Brown and his army were surrounded by a group of US marines. By October 19, ten men were killed, two of which were Brown's own sons. John Brown was captured by the Marines. He was tried for treason and murder on November 2, and hanged on the following December 2. Brown's raid sparked tension between the people of the country. It also made it more difficult for the Northern and Southern states to agree with each other.

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Eli Whitney’s cotton gin invention in 1793 sped up the process of separating seeds and cotton fiber. This invention was created in the USA. Cotton soon became very popular in America because the process of producing it was so quick. Cotton was put through a wooden machine that was embedded with hooks.  The hooks would catch fibers and then put them through a mesh. The mesh was too fine to let the seeds through, separating the seeds from the cotton fiber. In 1794, Whitney got a patent for the cotton gin. Cotton soon became America's leading export. In the South, massive amounts of cotton were being grown. The rise of cotton also meant steadier supplies of raw materials for textile mills in the North. Since so much cotton had to be produced, the cotton gin was encouraging slavery. Planters wanted to grow more cotton crops because it helped them earn more money. This required more people. Slavery was a cheap form of labor. Therefore, slaves were in high demand in the South. Slavery was starting to increase because of this invention, which was another factor of the Civil War.

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In 1860, Republican Abraham Lincoln faced off against Stephen Douglas, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell in the presidential election. Despite only getting 40% of the popular vote, Abraham Lincoln managed to win the election on November 6, 1860. This made Abraham Lincoln the first Republican to become president. However, because the Southern states knew that Abraham Lincoln was against slavery, they began to secede. In fact, by Lincoln's inauguration in Washington D. C. on March 4, 1861, 7 states had already seceded, becoming the Confederate States of America. This led to the Civil War because this election was the last straw for the Southern States, and about a month later, the Civil War began.

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The Dred Scott decision was a case that made its way up to the Supreme Court. A slave named Dred Scott had been taken to a state where slavery was prohibited by his master. When he returned to his home state of Missouri, he claimed that he was a free man. On March 6, 1857, the Supreme Court ruled that Dred Scott was not a free citizen and that African Americans would never be citizens of the country, and also invalidated the long-standing Missouri Compromise. This threw a wrench in a lot of abolitionists' hard work and endeavors. It also stirred up conflict and disagreement revolving around the controversy of slavery amongst the people. This dispute continued to build up, leading towards the Civil War.

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After the Mexican-American War, which lasted from 1846 to 1848, California requested to enter the United States as a free state. This led to a series of five bills that were made to try and resolve the issue of slavery in the new area acquired from the Mexican-American War. Whig Senator Henry Clay and Democratic Senator Stephan Douglas came up with these bills in an attempt to keep the country from falling apart. Millard Fillmore, the new president after Zachary Taylor's sudden death, supported these bills, which helped to pass them. In the Compromise, it stated that slavery would be allowed in Washington, D.C., but slave trade would be illegal. California would be a free state, while Utah and New Mexico had the choice to decide by popular vote whether they would be a slave state or a free state. The Compromise also mentioned the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850, which required citizens to help catch runaway slaves, and forbid slaves from having the right to a trial by jury. Many people resented this bill, which played a factor in the Civil War.

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In 1831, the first edition of the newspaper, "The Liberator", was published. "The Liberator" was written by William Lloyd Garrison and Isaac Knapp in Boston, Massachusetts, and it became the most widely circulated anti-slavery newspaper during the Civil War. "The Liberator" was published weekly and denounced all acts that encouraged slavery. "The Liberator" also included pieces of writing from other abolitionists. Many of the readers were free blacks from the Northern states. Slave owners from the South highly disagreed with the information in the newspaper. It went so far that one of the southern states offered $5,000 for the arrest of Garrison or Knapp. "The Liberator" was discontinued after the Civil War in 1865. Since this newspaper became so popular and different opinions were spread, it created conflict between abolitionists and slave owners. Disagreement over this newspaper eventually contributed to the start of the Civil War.

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The book, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe was published in 1852. The book took place in the American South and applied dramatic storytelling from a slave's perspective as they tried to escape from slavery. It also hinted at the idea that slavery was not right in God's eyes, which allowed people to realize that slavery was wrong in their religious views. This made readers want to change the ways that slaves were being treated for the better. Therefore, "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was another event that lead to the conflict of the Civil War.

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In 1819, Missouri and Maine applied for statehood, with Maine as a free state and Missouri as a slave state. This caused a huge debate in Congress in Washington D.C, as this would make Missouri the first state west of the Mississippi River to be a slave state. During this debate, a compromise was proposed by the Speaker of the House, Henry Clay, allowing Maine to join as a free state in the north and Missouri to join as a slave state in the south. In 1820, a restriction on the states was also added: no states (besides Missouri) north of the 36 30' latitude line could have slavery. This compromise was passed on March 3, 1820, and 4 days later, it was signed and approved by President James Monroe. This compromise led to the Civil War because it shows how Congress was trying to resolve the issue of slavery peacefully, even though it would not work in the end.