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After Lincoln's nomination as president, an uproar from the South involved discussion about secession. Although Lincoln avoided interference with slavery in the South, he declared the end of extending the practice to newly acquired territories in the West. On December 20, 1860, South Carolina delegates voted to secede from the nation, hence influencing six other states to engage in the movement and forming the Confederate States of America.

“Why Did the Southern States Secede?” LIBERTARIANISM.org.

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Abraham Lincoln is Elected as President (14)

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Abraham Lincoln is Elected as President (14)

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Due to a severe divide of political values amidst  the Democratic party, the unity of the Republicans towards Lincoln aided in his victory of the 1860 presidential election. Citizens of the South greatly feared the possibility of abolition under Lincoln's presidency, claiming such a decision as a loss of liberty, property, home, country," as stated by a South Carolina newspaper.

“Abraham Lincoln Making His Famous 'Gettysburg Address' Speech.” USNews.com.

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Abolitionist John Brown chose violent methods to eliminate slavery in the Union when he began his raid in 1859. Brown aimed to capture the Harpers Ferry arsenal and provide weaponry to enslaved peoples. However, a majority of his men died during this battle, and he soon was sentenced to treason and publicly hanged.

“John Brown.” History.com.

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During his time running for Senate, Lincoln's primary opponent was Stephen Douglas, creator of the Nebraska-Kansas Act of 1854. The two candidates engaged in a series of debates regarding the slavery issue, during which Lincoln addressed the verdict of Dred Scott's case and viewed the practice as system of moral misconduct. Although Abraham Lincoln lost this election, the debates were widely publicized and gathered much attention of citizens.

“Lincoln Douglas Debates.” American Historama.

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The Supreme Court engaged in the conflict of slavery when a slave named Dred Scott argued for his freedom. He stated that a visit with his owner to Wisconsin, a free state, had thereby liberated him from a life of slavery. Although Chief Justice Roger Taney had previously claimed to oppose slavery, his decision for Dred Scott's case rejected the man's desire to become free nor be accepted as a citizen. By dismissing the Missouri Compromise and stating the Fifth Amendment of property rights, the Supreme Court rejected Scott's case and creating a deeper schism between the North and South.

“Dred Scott Decision: 1856 - Scott Tries Federal Courts.” American Law and Legal Library, Law.jrank.org.

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Senator Charles Sumner from Massachusetts was immediately affected by the bloodshed in Kansas and deeply suspected Douglas' involvement with Southerners when proposing the Nebraska- Kansas Act of 1854. Hence, Sumner delivered a bold speech regarding his concern for the state of the country, opposition to slavery, and the malpractice of Senator Douglas. Following his speech, Sumner was violently assaulted by Preston Brooks, a South Carolina representative; the event bred support from the South and uproar from the Northerners who further affirmed the violent behavior of Southerners and their practice of slavery.

“The May 1856 Assault in the Senate.” Medicolegal.tripod.com.

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The act reaped immense tension between the abolition and pro slavery sects. Several abolitionists moved to Kansas to voice opposition to slavery while Southern slaveholders plotted to spread the practice to the newly acquired states. Soon, pro slavery individuals raided Lawrence, Kansas in 1856 and demolished presses, newspapers, hotel, and looted homes. In retaliation, abolitionist John Brown and his sons invaded Pottawatomie and gruesomely murdered five individuals suspected of advocating for slavery.

“Bleeding Kansas- Sparks of War.” National Park Service, nps.gov.

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Proposed by three American diplomats to Congress, the Ostend Manifesto act advised the Union to acquire Cuba from Spain by force if necessary. Northerners continually argued that this annexation would allow for another slave state to be added to the Union. Additionally, Senator Stephen Douglas created the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which admitted the two territories to the nation, rid the Missouri Compromise, and allowed individual states to vote for their statehood in terms of slavery. Northerners were again aghast by Congress' decision and feared for drastic increase in slavery in America.

“July 8, 1856; Kansas-Nebraska Act/Bleeding Kansas.” Mathew Brady's Civil War Diary

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The act passed by Congress deprived slaves of all rights and deprived such individuals of hopes for freedom. This law stated that civilians possessed the right to pursue runaway slaves, or fugitives, and return them to their slaveholders. People in the North were enraged and strongly opposed the law, hence making enforcement more difficult to ensure throughout the country. Additionally, Elizabeth Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" provided a deeper understanding of the severity and cruelty of slavery.

“The Significance of the Fugitive Slave Act.” Fugitiveslaveact.weebly.com.

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Henry Clay, a senator of Kentucky and the cause of the Missouri Compromise, developed another compromise that added California to the growing nation while assigning Utah and New Mexico territories as slave states. The  proposition abolished slave trade and instigated a more drastic fugitive slave act. Although Congress accepted this plan, some Southerners continued to spread ideas of secession from the Union.

“Map of the Compromise of 1850.” Sectionalismtosecession.weebly.com.

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Due to Congress' debate regarding the statehood of regions in the Mexican Cession, Southerners proposed a bill addressing the slavery policies in relation to geographical landscape. In 1849, California requested to join the Union as a free state, breeding an uproar from the prospects of eliminating the balance between slave and free states. There was a lack of progress in resolving this conflict at the end of the year 1849.

“Grand Admission Celebration.” California Department of Parks and Recreation.

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A Pennsylvania representative, David Wilmot, declared an amendment to President Polk's bill for funds for the Mexican War. The Wilmot Proviso proposed that states acquired through the Mexican-American War must not accept slavery. The amendment was rejected by many civilians, and was hence declined by the Senate although passed by the House of Representatives.

“The Wilmot Proviso.” USHistory.org, Independence Hall Association.

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After Nat Turner's rebellion, enslaved people were inspired to seek freedom and hence escaped slavery with the help of abolitionists from the North. Enraged slave owners felt an incredible loss of business due to escaping slaves and proposed that the government establish a fugitive slave law.

“Fugitive Slave Acts.” History.com

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The Second Great Awakening triggered a revival of spiritual beliefs and the strong desire towards abolition. Widespread antislavery petitions were neglected by Congress' votes to dismiss the problem of slavery; the government's action was thereby named the "gag rule."  Abolition movements soon instilled fear in White Southerners who were desperate to prevent motivation for freedom from reaching their slaves.

Ostermaier, Rob. “Daily Press.” Daily Press.

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Congress's conflict regarding the statehood of Missouri as a slave state resulted in Southern threats of civil war and withdrawal from the Union. In order to prevent this occurrence, Congress established the Missouri Compromise, which appointed Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state. However, the decision did not satisfy a wide portion of the population and conflicts of slavery still existed at large.

“Missouri Compromise-1820.” United States History LSA