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This treaty ended the war between the U.S. and Mexico, and gave the U.S. a lot of land out west. This land started debates over whether or not to exten slavery to the west ultimately contributing to the Civil War

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The election of 1848 was won by General Zachary Taylor of the Whig party defeated Senator Lewis Cass of the Democratic party. The Free Soil Party contributed to debates over slavery during this election which led to Zachary Taylor being elected

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The Free Soil Party was a short-lived coalition political party in the US before merging into the Repubican Party. Their main goal was opposing the expansion of slavery into western territories of the US. The Free Soil Party created tension before the Civil War for not letting slavery spread into western territories.

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it admitted California into the US as a no-slave state but allowed some newly acquired territories to decide on slavery for themselves. This eased tensions temporarily but was unable to provide a long-lasting solution intensifying debates. It was included in the Fugitive Slave Act.

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This act required for slaves to be returned to their owners, even if they were now in a free state. Also, the Federal Government was responsible for the return of these slaves. This act contributed to the sectional division because northern states didn't cooperate, and hunters of fugitive slaves would capture free blacks.

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Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe; March 20 of 1852

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Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe; March 20 of 1852

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When the book was published people were eager to buy it. The book shared ideas about the injustices of slavery, pushing back against dominant cultural beliefs about the physical and emotional capacities of black people. Stowe became a leading voice for the anti-slavery movement.

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Democrat Franklin Pierce defeated Whig nominee General Winfield Scott in the Election of 1852. In this election the Free Soil Party regressed to less than 5 percent of the national popular vote, and the Whig party was gone due to continuous debates over slavery.

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It repealed the Missouri Compromise, created two new territories, and allowed for popular sovereignty. This act caused a violent uprising called "Bleeding Kansas". This escalated the debates over slavery and intensified sectional conflict leading up to the Civil War.

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The Republican Party consisted of northern Protestants, factory workers, businessman, and farmers. It was formed to fight the expansion of slavery into the west after the Kansas-Nebraska Act. Opposition of slavery and westward expansion contributed to sectionalism within the states and grew tension leading to the Civil War.

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Bleeding Kansas was a period of constant outbreaks of violent attacks between pro-slavery and anti-slavery forces following the creation of the new territory of Kansas. 55 people were killed in total. Bleeding Kansas was a great contributor to the Civil War the tensions between pro-slavery and anti-slavery supporters were at a violent high.

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When South Carolina Representative Preston Brooks beat Sumner with a walking stick after he made a comment about one of Brook's relatives. It created an uprage and a willingness to resort to violence which would ultimately contribute to the Civil War.

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Election of James Buchanan; November 4, 1856

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Election of James Buchanan; November 4, 1856

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In a three-way election, Democrat James Buchanan defeated Republican nominee John C. Frémont and Know Nothing nominee Millard Fillmore. James Buchanan was seen as a weak president who was undecicive and mishandeled the crisis at hand. He supported pro-slavery movements which contributed to the Civil War.

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When Dred Scott sued for freedom arguing that since he had lived in a free state, he was a free man. In this case the U.S. Supreme Court stated that enslaved people were not citizens of the U.S. and therefore, could not expect any protection from the federal government or the courts. This decision angered northerners because they still believed slavery was morally wrong and they also feared that the spread of slavery was a threat to many jobs.

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A document framed in Lecompton, the Territorial Capital of Kansas, in 1857 by Southern pro-slavery advocates of Kansas statehood. The document contained clauses protecting slaveholding and a bill of rights excluding free blacks, overall it created friction leading up to the Civil War.

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This event was an assault by an armed band of abolitionists led by John Brown on the federal armory. This raid resulted in the execution of John Brown, and it symbolized the ruthlessness of the North. It also created growing sectionalism because the North and South got so far apart on views which would contribute to the Civil War.

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Election of Abraham Lincoln; November 6, 1860

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Election of Abraham Lincoln; November 6, 1860

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Elected as the 16th president, he was the first republican to win an election. He defeated John C. Breckinridge, John Bell, and stephen douglas. Lincoln opposed the expansion of slavery and this hightened southerners fears about political restriction. Many southern states viewd him as a threat and left the union which lead to the outbreak of the Civil War.

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South Carolina became the first state to secede from the federal Union. The victory of Abraham Lincoln was the cause for this because he disagreed with slavery, and South Carolina wanted to keep their slaves. This was one of the final sparks contributing to the Civil War because the south was now the Confederacy and the north was the Union.

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Introduced legislation that would reinstate the Missouri Compromise line, forbid the abolition of slavery on federal land in slaveholding states, compensate owners for runaway slaves, and other amendments to support the institution of slavery. The compromise was unable to keep states from seceding from the Union ultimately leading to the Civil War.