# data[].attributes.body
South Carolina's official ordinance of secession in which other southern states began to follow in suit with. Watch a video and learn more about it here.

# data[].attributes.body
Quickly after the election, talk about secession filled the air once again. Senators tried to come up with another compromise once again but when Lincoln was asked by a reported on whether or not he could support a compromise on slavery, Lincoln replied he could not. Soon after, South Carolina left the Union, and 6 other states closely followed their lead. The US was no longer a united nation anymore and war was nearing.

# data[].attributes.body
A postage stamp during the time of the debates. To see excerpts of the two's fiery debates, look here.

# data[].attributes.body
The 1860 election was the perfect representation of how divided the nation had become. There was a lot of confusion in Lincoln's opposition as it was divided into three different ways. However, because of this, Lincoln was able to win. While Northerners believed great change was upon them, Southerners took it horribly, believing that they were no longer in power.  They also feared slavery would eventually be abolished completely.

# data[].attributes.body
In 1858, the new Republican party elected Abraham Lincoln to run for Senate. Lincoln's opponent in the race was Senator Stephen Douglas. While Lincoln regarded slavery as unjust and spoke out about it, Douglas did not see why it was so wrong and believed things were fine as they were. Lincoln publicly challenged Douglas's thoughts. Despite him losing, he still left a strong impact and sparked hope for abolitionists.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a drawing of Dred-Scott. Read a New York Times article on the decision here.

# data[].attributes.body
An image of the Kansas violence. Watch a PBS clip of a "remake" here.

# data[].attributes.body
In 1857, the Supreme Court received a case concerning a slave named Dred Scott. He claimed that he was now free after his master had brought him to Wisconsin, a free state by the Missouri Compromise. His master argued he was not. The justices were split at a 5:4 ratio of Southerners to Northerners. "Coincidentally," the ruling for Scott being denied being freedom was the exact same ratio. Slaveholders were delighted upon hearing this while Northerners became fired up once again.

# data[].attributes.body
The violence in Kansas greatly disturbed Senator Charles Sumner of Massachusetts. He spoke out about the violence and also criticized the pro-slavery Southerners. His speech spread quickly and, while praised by Northerners, Southerners became very angry. One of them, a South Carolina Representative, Preston Brooks beat Sumner until he was unconscious, receiving mixed reactions once again. Now, even Congress was divided.

# data[].attributes.body
A primary source of The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. See more here.

# data[].attributes.body
A map of The Compromise of 1850. Watch a video and learn more here.

# data[].attributes.body
After the Kansas Nebraska Act was passed, settlers soon began to flood Kansas. However, among these settlers were both pro-slavery/non-slavery people. Soon, there were two definite sides within Kansa and their fights began to turn violent. Pro-slavery "border ruffians" attacked abolitionists while non-slavery "jayhawkers" terrorized pro-slavery families.

# data[].attributes.body
Created by Stephen A. Douglas, the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 created the two new territories of Kansas and Nebraska. Douglas abolished the Missouri Compromise and instead put up a system of popular sovereignty. During this time, there had already been an event that had enraged the Northerners, the Ostend Manifesto, so when they heard the news of this act, they became completely infuriated and haunted by the fears of slavery all over the plains.

# data[].attributes.body
A picture of an escaping slave. Read a letter from one here.

# data[].attributes.body
A primary source map of The Missouri Compromise.  Explore more here.

# data[].attributes.body
While the last large-scale slave revolt was Nat Turner's Rebellion, individual slaves would continue to rebel and escape. They became known as fugitive slaves, and with the help of Northerners, they became pretty successful in their attempts. In reaction to their successes, Southerners became angrier at the Northerners. When the topic of California becoming a state was introduced, Southerners threatened Congress not to break the balance of the states or else they would leave the Union.

# data[].attributes.body
The Fugitive Slave Act was one of the agreements under the 1850 compromise where a slave would lose all their legal rights if arrested. It received strong distaste from both the Northerners and Southerners. Northerners disliked the fact that they had to enforce the law while Southerners felt it did not ensure the return of their property. When the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin was published, Northerners were even more passionate about ending slavery. The clashing between the two sides worsened immensely.

# data[].attributes.body
The Compromise of 1850 consisted of several agreements made for California to enter the Union as a free state. Among these agreements was one that allowed New Mexico and Utah territories to decide whether or not to allow slavery. While most people from both the North and South were happy at the thought of the crisis ending, there were still a few Southerners who were wary of the compromise.

# data[].attributes.body
This compromise was an agreement made by Congress in which Missouri was admitted into the union as a slave state while Maine was admitted as a free state.  There was also an imaginary line drawn across the Louisiana Purchase that prevented any slavery past it. This event is seen as a catalyst for the ever-growing tension between the North and South as it fires off what will become a fiery war over slavery.

# data[].attributes.body
While the compromise kept the union together, very few people were pleased with it. When the Second Great Awakening arrived, many of these complaints were pushed into the spotlight. Abolitionists flooded Congress with petitions in the 1830s and Congress avoided them by tabling the topic of slavery. Enraged, abolitionists labeled this action as the "Gag Rule." Meanwhile, Southerners watched on and resented the abolitionists for their attacks, and like the Northerners, they too only got more riled up.