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Established that if one state was admitted into the U.S as a slave state, then the next state admitted into the union was required to be a free state and vice versa. This set a precedent to quell the division between pro-slavery and abolishionist states, ensuring that they would have equal representation in the Union.

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After defeating Mexico, the U.S fulfilled its dream of westward expansion. Land gained included, Utah, California, Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico. Congress heavily disputed how to divide this land into free and slave states, which led to more tensions between the North and South.

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Southerners felt Northerners were being favored in the American System after feeling the burden of heavy taxation. Furthermore, Southerners and Northerners greatly disagreed on whether slavery should be permitted in the U.S. Many Americans saw themselves as being a part of sections (North/South) instead of one union.

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California wanted to be admitted as a free state, however, this would upset the balance between slave and free states in the Union. As compromise California was allowed to apply for statehood without slaves and Utah and New Mexico would be allowed to choose through popular sovereignty. This quelled the disagreements between Northern and Southern states for a time.

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The Nebraska territory was divided into two states: Nebraska and Kansas. Congress decided to leave the decision of slavery up to the state's residents through popular sovereignty. This however, backfired, as pro and anti-slave backers rushed to the states in attempts to swing the vote, raising tensions between Northerners and Southerners.

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In reaction to the Kansas-Nebraska act, the Republican political party was formed. Republicans opposed the spread of slavery and provided a more solid identity to anti-slavery backers as well as more organized methods of protest.

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Because of pro and anti-slavery backers rushing to Kansas in order to swing the vote, tensions had risen in the territory. Violence and disagreements between the two sides created a war-like environment.

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Dred Scott, an enslaved man, traveled with his master to a free state. While there he argued in court that due to his new environment, he should now be rendered free. The supreme court, however, denied his right to sue for his freedom since Scott was technically considered property and not a citizen. The outcome of this trial furthered angered abolitionists and upheld the system of slavery in the South.

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Abraham Lincoln of the Republican Party had won the presidential election of 1860. Abolitionists were overjoyed, as Lincoln was deemed likely to abolish slavery due to his political affiliation. Pro-slavery Southerners, however, were furious, and saw Lincoln's election as a threat to the institution of slavery; an integral piece of their economy.

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As a result of Lincoln's election, South Carolina seceded from the Union. Southern States soon followed suit, desiring to make a separate nation dependent on slave labor and cash crops. These states called themselves the Confederate States of America. Lincoln did not want these states to break away and was willing to go to war to bring the states back into the Union.