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The United States added more than 500,000 square miles

of land as a result of winning the Mexican-American War in

1848. The additional land caused bitter debate about slavery.

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Senator Henry Clay of Kentucky had helped to settle the Missouri crisis of

1819–20 and the nullification crisis of 1832–33 by proposing compromises.

He now had another plan to help the nation maintain peace. His ideas were

designed to give both sides things that they wanted

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At the heart of the divide was the institution of slavery, which was deeply ingrained in the Southern economy and way of life.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUfJCh7Rd_Q

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The debate over the balance of power between individual states and the federal government played a crucial role. Southern states believed they had the right to secede from the Union and protect their interests, including slavery.

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As the nation expanded westward, the question of whether new territories would be slave or free became a major point of contention, exacerbating sectional tensions.

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The North's industrial economy clashed with the South's agrarian, slave-based economy, leading to economic and political conflicts.

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A violent period of conflict over slavery in the Kansas territory highlighted the deep divisions within the nation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqZJc7B8xsc

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Following Lincoln's election, Southern states seceded from the Union, forming the Confederate States of America.

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Abolitionists in the North used the stories of fugitive slaves like James

Hamlet and Anthony Burns to gain sympathy for their cause.

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Four leading candidates for the Demo-

cratic presidential nomination emerged

in 1852. It became clear that none of

them would win a majority of votes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ft5AUiiyF0

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In his inaugural address, President Pierce expressed his hope that the

slavery issue had been put to rest “and that no sectional . . . excitement

may again threaten the durability [stability] of our institutions.” Less

than a year later, however, a proposal to build a railroad to the West

coast helped revive the slavery controversy and opened a new period

of sectional conflict.

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Democrat Stephen Douglas had predicted that the Kansas-

Nebraska Act would “raise a . . . storm.” He was right. The

Kansas-Nebraska Act brought the slavery issue back into the

national spotlight.

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Just two days after Buchanan became president, the Supreme Court issued

a historic ruling about slavery.