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The Mexican-American War ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. The US victory in this war added vast territories to the United States---essentially 7 states were carved out of it. This increased tension over slavery's expansion into these new territories, sparking heated debates and compromises in Congress and at kitchen tables.

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The CA Gold Rush led to thousands of Easterners trekking to CA to strike it rich. So many went that CA met the requirements to apply for statehood almost immediately. But the issue over whether lands from the MX Cession would be free or slave postponed CA's admittance to the US as a state until the Compromise of 1850 was passed in Congress.

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The Compromise of 1850 introduced measures to appease both slave and free states. Notably, it included the Fugitive Slave Act, requiring citizens to assist in the capture of runaway slaves, which intensified North-South divisions.

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Harriet Beecher Stowe's shocking newspaper series called "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was published in chapters in the abolitionist newspaper called "The National Era" starting in 1851. In 1852 the chapters were compiled and the complete novel was published. Stowe was responding to the passage of the Fugitive Slave Act but also, to the grief she was experiencing after the death of her son. The novel captured the hearts of all who read it, the painful story of Eliza illuminated so clearly the evil of slavery. It led to thousands more converts to the abolitionist cause.

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This slave narrative by Solomon Northup was published three years after the Fugitive Slave Law and was deeply impactful, opening the eyes of many to the horrors of slavery. A free Black man, a well-respected musician with a home he owned, a wife and children, Northup was kidnapped and sold into slavery where he remained for twelve years. You'll have to read the narrative or watch the brilliant film of the same name to find out how his story ends.

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The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 allowed territories to decide on slavery through popular sovereignty. This led to violent clashes in Kansas, known as 'Bleeding Kansas,' further heightening tensions between the North and South.

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Radical abolitionist John Brown, along with five of his sons, murdered five proslavery men along the banks of the Pottawatomie Creek near Lane, Kansas. Why? The anti-slavery town of Lawrence had been sacked just days prior and ardent abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner had been beaten up on the floor of the Senate by South Carolina representative Preston Brooks. These two massacres led to "Bleeding Kansas", a campaign of terror and violence between anti-slavery and pro-slavery towns in Kansas that lasted all through the summer of 1856.

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The Dred Scott Decision by the Supreme Court in 1857 declared that African Americans could not be citizens and that Congress could not ban slavery in the territories. This decision enraged abolitionists and deepened the national divide.

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1859: John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry

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1859: John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry

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In 1859, radical (devout) abolitionist John Brown raided the federal arsenal which was in a small West Virginia town called Harpers Ferry. Brown aimed to initiate a slave rebellion by getting as many guns as he could. Although the raid failed, it significantly increased tensions between the North and South, making a peaceful resolution more unlikely.

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The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860, without a single Southern electoral vote, convinced many Southern states that their interests were no longer represented in the Union. This led to the secession of South Carolina, followed by other Southern states.

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SC Governor Francis Wilkinson Pickens- Oversaw the secession of SC in Dec. 1860.

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South Carolina was the first to secede from the Union. As the historical leader of slave states, South Carolina had tremendous influence in Congress. "As South Carolina goes, so does the South" was a common expression. Within six months, ten other Southern states had seceded. Civil War was just around the corner.

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The bombardment of Fort Sumter in April 1861 marked the beginning of the Civil War. It followed South Carolina's secession from the Union, challenging the U.S. government's control over its forts in seceded territories.