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The Missouri Compromise of 1820 used balance to admit Maine and Missouri into the Union. Maine became a free state and Missouri became a slave state. However, many citizens were unhappy with this decision.

Source: "What Was the Missouri Compromise?" Video by History.com

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What Was the Missouri Compromise? | History

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Lincoln stated that he would not let slavery be permitted in the territories. Shortly after, the South voted to leave the Union; a total of 7 states left.

Source: EconedLink.org

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#14 Abraham Lincoln is Elected as President

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#14 Abraham Lincoln is Elected as President

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Abraham Lincoln won the election for president, but by only winning 40 percent of America's votes. He was not on the ballot for some Southern states. After the election, the South became a minority and did not have as much power.

Source: Scholastic.com

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John Brown, an abolitionist, had a plan to rob the federal arsenal in Harpers Ferry, Virginia. During the robbery, all of his men were either killed or captured. Brown was sentenced to death, but was seen as a hero by Northerners.

Source: CivilWar.org

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Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas ran against each other for senator of Illinois. They disagreed on the Dred Scott decision. Lincoln believed that what happened was immoral; oppositely, Douglas thought that the situation was resolved. Even though Lincoln lost, the debate helped him gain recognition.

Source: IntellectualTakeout.org

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After returning to Missouri from a trip to Wisconsin with his slave owner, Dred Scott sued for his freedom. He stated that after being in Wisconsin, a free state, he had the right to be a free man. However, the Court voted against Scott and concluded that he did not have the right to sue because he wasn't an American citizen. Also, they believed that the Missouri Compromise was not constitutional.

Source: Britannica.com

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Senator Charles Sumner believed that Southerners settled in Kansas in order to make it a slave state. After making a speech on this, Southerner Preston Brooks beat Sumner unconscious. Settlers realized the severity of the divide in Kansas after the beating.

Source: AgriBusinessCouncil.org

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Many settlers who both supported and opposed slavery moved to Kansas. The state was heavily divided, so two different governments competed for authority. This led to raids, burnings of hotels and homes, and deaths.

Source: Nps.gov

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This act established Kansas and Nebraska and enabled citizens to vote on whether or not to allow slavery in the states. Many Northerners feared that they would permit slavery.

Source: "Sound Smart: The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854" by History.com

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Sound Smart: The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 | History

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The Fugitive Slave act stated that slaves who were caught had to be returned to their owner. Plus, anyone who helped the slave escape could possibly be put in jail. Northerners refused this act. Therefore, enforcing it was difficult.

Source: Dcc.Newberry.org

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Henry Clay suggested a way to solve the problem with California. While letting the state join as free, he granted permission for New Mexico and Utah to conclude whether or not to allow themselves slavery. This would also ban the slave trade in Washington, D.C.

Source: ThomasLegion.net

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When California applied to join the Union to be a free state, Northerners accepted and Southerners disagreed. California was accepted, even though the South threatened to leave the Union.

Source: Kids.Britannica.com

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David Wilmot added the Wilmot Proviso, which banned servitude in the territory captured from Mexico. But, Southerners thought that Congress did not have the right to create this ban.

Source: Wilmot Proviso Britannica.com

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Slaves still ran away, and many Northerners helped them escaped. However, southern slave owners wanted Congress to pass a law that would help them take back their escaped slaves.

Source: Kshs.org

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In 1836, Congress voted to "table" any antislavery proposals. Also, Congress dismissed John Quincy Adams' proposition that no person could be born into slavery after the year 1845. Many abolitionists continued to fight against slavery, but southern states created laws to control these abolitionists and slaves.

Source: CivilWar.org