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After the election of Lincoln, senators rushed to find another compromise. Before they could do so, South Carolina seceded from the Union and several more states followed suit forming the Confederate States of America.
history.com

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With his opponents divided, Lincoln easily won the presidency. His election proved to the South that they were now a minority and would not be able to shape policies.
britannica.com

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Adopting a radical approach to ending slavery, John Brown incited a slave rebellion. He armed slaves with an arsenal of weapons and was convicted of treason.
history.com

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Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas agreed to a series of talks about slavery where Lincoln argued that slavery is a moral not legal issue. Although losing the election, Lincoln clarified the issue of slavery
cnn.com

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Although Chief Justice Taney was opposed to slavery he made the decision that slaves are property and under the Fifth Amendment, property cannot be taken away without due process. He ruled against Dred Scott who sued for his freedom.
britannica.com

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Shocked by the violence in Kansas, Charles Sumner gave a speech on how Douglas plotted with Southerners to make Kansas a slave state. Shocked by his comments, Preston Brooks beat Charles Sumner with a metal tipped cane until it broke in half.
ushistory.org

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Many people moved to Kansas to oppose or support slavery. A group of pro-slavery "border ruffians" burned a hotel while John Brown incited anti-slavery violence killing 5 people.
nps.gov

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Stephen A. Douglas wanted a railroad built in California which which he thought would be easier if The Great Plains were organized as the Nebraska Territory and opened to settlers. Douglas mistakenly allowed Kansas and Nebraska to decide if they wanted to become slave states which would destroy the Missouri Compromise and anger Northerners.
pbs.org

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Northerners and Southerners were both unhappy with the fugitive slave act. Northerners did not want to enforce the law and the Southerners did not feel as though they were being fairly recouped for their losses.
socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu

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Henry Clay introduced a bill that he though would please both Northerners and Southerners. It allowed California to be a free state while the other territories could decide whether they wanted to allow slaves. It also stopped the trade of slaves in Washington D.C.
pbs.org

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In 1849 when California wanted to join the Union, Northerners were very pleased. However Southerners rejected the request because it would upset the balance of free and slave states.
users.humboldt.edu

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Although the gag rule prevented progress on slavery, David Wilmot found a way to prevent slavery from spreading. He added a provision to the Wilmot Proviso preventing slavery in territory acquired from Mexico.
pbs.org

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While some slaves continued to escape to the North, under the fugitive slave act they were treated as criminals. Congress passed the bill to make peace with slave owners who saw it as their land vanishing
history.com

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After antislavery petitions overwhelmed Congress, the ¨gag rule¨ passed, forbidding the debate over slavery. With tensions in congress building up, they were at a standstill at the decision of whether California should be a free state or a slave state.
cornell.edu

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Although few people liked the compromise, the Missouri Compromise prevented the breakup of the union and maintained balance between free and slave states. The compromise also marked an imaginary line where besides the exception of Missouri, below the line slavery was legal and was banned in states above the line.
khanacademy.org