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Around 645,000 African Slaves were brought to America. As time went on, the Northern states began to slowly abolish slavery, while the South continued to commit to slavery. Tensions began to increase as the North abolitionist sought to end slavery in all of America while the South demanded that they continue the practice of slavery, and expand it.

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As American continued to expand, the Louisiana Purchase admitted all the territory of Louisiana to the U.S. To guide the expansion of slavery, Congress created the 36 30 line which set a clear boundary on which future U.S states could hold slaves. There was now a clear, invisible boundary between the slave and free states that divided America.

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At the end of the Mexican War, new western territories were seceded to America. This posed the question of whether these states would be admitted as slave or free states. This would increase tensions and conflict between the North(free) and South(slave) over the idea of which states should be free or slave states.

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As America continued to be divided over the issue of slavery, senator Henry Clay and and Stephan Douglas passed the Compromise of 1850. This admitted California as a free state, did not regulate slavery in the rest of the ceded Mexican territory, and enforced the Fugitive Slave Act which encouraged the northerners to help find and return the runaway slaves. This compromise upset the balance of power in the Senate, and forced the non-slaveholders to participate in returning slaves, increasing the desire to abolish slavery in the North.

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Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote a book about the horrors of slavery. This book was called Uncle Toms Cabin. The book combined elements of real slave stories but was put on fictional characters and the book became a success and became the 2nd best selling book in the US. The book made more people join the abolitionist side because it persuaded people that slavery was bad.

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When the Kansas-Nebraska Act was enacted it said that both Kansas and Nebraska would be added to the union and that popular sovereignty decided if they were a slave state or not. People from both the North and the South poured in in order to sway the state to their way. The North and Souths ideological differences caused there to be violence in Kansas and so it was named "Bleeding Kansas" for that reason. Differences in opinion over slavery now lead to violence, further dividing the North and South

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As republican Abraham Lincoln, a non-supporter of slavery was elected as president in 1860. Out of fear, 6 southern states seceded from the U.S, despite Lincolns views on slavery being moderate. South Carolina also warned it would secede if Lincoln won. As more and more southern slave states continued to leave, a clear division was now set between the free Northern states and South slave states. Slave states were now leaving the Union over the issue of slavery, dividing the U.S as a whole.

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The South had seceded from the Union and became the Confederate States of America. This causes Abraham Lincoln to send fresh supplies to these forts in the South. Since they are federal that means they are loyal to the union. The Confederate warships turned back the supplies to Fort Summer and bombarded the stronghold for 34 hours. The Confederacy began its first fires and would later ignite the start of the war. Lincoln would ask for 75,000 volunteers to join the Northern Army, and those opposed would secede and not contribute.