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Through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the war between Mexico and the States came to an end. Mexico was required to relinquish the land that includes present-day California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona and New Mexico, and parts of Colorado and Wyoming to the United States. In return, the U.S. paid Mexico $15 million and assumed the claims of American citizens against Mexico. The Mexican Cession significantly expanded the territory of the United States, allowing the opportunity for new states which could offset the balance of slave/free states in the union, leading to sectionalism amongst Antebellum America.

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The Free Soil Party was a short-lived Antebellum political party that focused on opposing the expansion of slavery westward. The party would play a significant role in increasing the anti-slavery movement and growth of sectionalism throughout pre-Civil War America and would eventually allow for the republican party to win the presidency in 1860. This is largely due to the fact that after 1854, both the Free Soil Party would merge with the Republicans. A notable member of the party was former President Van Buren and his son John Van Buren.

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War general/hero in both the Mexican-American War and the War of 1812 Zachary Taylor was a elected president in the election of 1848 as a member of the Whig party. The most prominent issue surrounding this election pertained to the decision if slavery should be allowed in the land acquired from the Mexican Cession. The election of 1848 is significant to the lead up to the Civil War as it marks the first time slavery became an election issue. Taylor ran against former president/Free Soil candidate Van Buren who believed that slavery shouldn't expand west. Democratic candidate Lewis Cass also ran for the election with the idea that each territory should decide for themselves on whether or not to allow slavery. Taylor's Whig party never took a strong stance on slavery but they were less supportive of democratic ideals. However following this election, the parties views on slavery would polarize, leading to further social divide and sectionalism.

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The Compromise of 1850 was a series of three major legislative measures introduced by Henry Clay as an attempt to resolve conflict surrounding slavery and territorial expansion.

1. The admission of California as a Free State

2. Utah and New Mexico Territories were admitted with the principle of popular sovereignty, meaning the residents could decide whether or not to allow slavery.

3. The ban of slave trade in Washington D.C. and the addition of the Fugitive Slave Act.

The Compromise of 1850 furthered the rise of sectionalism between the northern and southern states as the addition of California as a free state upset the balance of free to slave states which left southerners in fear of their federal representation. The new idea of popular sovereignty effectively nullified the Missouri Compromise, making it possible to expand slavery into previously prohibited land provolked unrest among the Free Soil Party against the Democrats who largely agreed with the addition of popular sovereignty.

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The Fugitive Slave Act was a law passed in 1850 as a part of the Compromise of 1850, proposed by Henry Clay to try to resolve the conflict of slavery and territorial expansion westward. The Act states that any and all slaves must be returned to their owners, regardless if they are in a free or slave state. The act also required that law enforcement actively seek, arrest, and try escaped slaves. Resistance rose throughout the North. Many of those living in free states were abolitionist and the act directly conflicted with the sympathy they all felt towards escaped and escaping slaves. This conflict would lead to abolitionist movements such as the Underground Railroad, and conflicts such as Bleeding Kansas.

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Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)

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Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)

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Uncle Toms Cabin is a novel by Harriet Beecher Stowe in 1852 which exposes the inhumanity of slavery, depicting the lives of enslaved individuals, their suffering, resilience, and the moral conflicts within a deeply divided America on the brink of Civil War. The novel furthers the divide as it strengthens the abolitionist movement in both size and outrage predominantly through the North.

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Lawyer and former House and Senate representative Franklin Pierce won the presidency in the election of 1852 against Whig candidate General Winfield Scott as a Democratic nominee. This democratic victory proved devastating to the Whig Party and its lack of stance on slavery. The Whig party began to lose supporters as the anti-slavery Northerners grew towards the strong abolitionist ideals of the Free Soil Party as well as pro-slavery Southerners were drawn to the Democratic Party with its slavery conservation ideals. The fall of the Whig party as a result of their loss in the Presidential Election of 1852 further divided America as the middle-ground party was eliminated, forcing all to take sides, typically aligning with their states.

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The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was a territorial act drafted by Democratic Senator Stephen A. Douglas which created the territories of Nebraska and Kansas. The act also proposed a repeal of the long-standing Missouri Compromise and to allow for popular sovereignty within the two new territories. This furthered the growth of sectionalism in America as the Free Soil/Republican Party strongly opposed this new act because not only was it drafted and passed by its opposing party, but the act was allowing for the use of slavery on land where it had previously been forbidden.

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The Republican Party was created in 1854 to fight the expansion of slavery from the Democratic Kansas/Nebraska Act. This contributed to sectionalism because it's creation along with its absorption of the Free Soil Party strengthened the opposition to slavery predominantly in the North.

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Bleeding Kansas refers to the violent conflicts spanning from 1854 until 1859 throughout the state/territory of Kansas. The fights were between the Democratic and the newly-created Republican Party over whether Kansas should be admitted as a free state or a slave state. Many pro-slavery groups from Missouri and nearby anti-slavery settlers clashed over this debate, leading to several battles and violent conflicts. This event displays the growth of sectionalism in Antebellum America as it illustrates the deep division over slavery.

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The Caning of Senator Sumner refers to an incident that occured on May 22, 1856 where South Carolina Representative and pro-slavery Democrat Preston Brooks attacked abolitionist and Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner using a walking cane. Charles prior speech, claiming the Democratic Party "imbeciles" for supporting slavery and continuing to fight in Kansas. This event furthered the rise of sectionalism in pre-Civil War America because it intensified Northern sentiments against the perceived brutality of the Southerners' treatment to both their slaves and their opposition in Congress. This event also symbolizes the increasing hostility upon the issue of slavery between the north and the south.

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Democratic nominee James Buchanan won the election of 1856 against republican candidate John C. Frémont and Millard Fillmore of the American "Know Nothing" Party. This election furthered the divisions over slavery and the growth of sectionalism throughout America as the new Republican Party was now running their campaign on a abolitionist anti-slavery platform. This election would also mark the last time a member of the Democratic Party would win the presidency before the Civil War.

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The legal case of Dred Scott vs. Stanford is a critical point in Antebellum American history as it significantly influenced the nationwide tensions leading up to the Civil War. Dred Scott was a slave who had sued for his freedom in 1846 and reached the Supreme Court in 1857. He argued that since he was enslaved above the 36°30° parallel, thus making slavery illegal and him a free man. The results of the trial lead to three major points

1. As an enslaved man, Scott was not a US citizen. Which means he couldn't sue or bring any lawsuits to court

2. The court ultimately agreed that either enslaved or free, African Americans could not become citizens

3. Congress had no authority to prohibit slavery in territories, effectively nullifying the Missouri Compromise of 1820

This lead to an steep increase in sectionalism and political divide as it highlights the bold unfairness displayed by the Democratic Party, a trait that their opponents, the Republican would continue to criticize them for.

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The Lecompton Constitution was the second of four proposed constitutions for Kansas, drafted in 1857 in Lecompton, Kansas. It was created in response to the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed settlers in the territories to decide whether to allow slavery through popular sovereignty. The document was primarily pro-slavery as it was drafted by Democratic delegates. The document also proposed that the people vote on slavery however the voting process was made in a way that voting no would still allow slavery to continue. The rigged nature of the vote upset Republican abolitionists as they recognized the document as an obvious attempt to force slavery into Kansas. The Lecompton Constitution would ultimately not pass however its effects lingered and fueled anti-slavery among Northern groups and parties.

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John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)

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John Brown's Raid on Harpers Ferry (1859)

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In October 1859, John Brown, an abolitionist, led men, including a few freed slaves, in an attempt to capture federal weaponry at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. His ultimate goal was to rally and arm nearby slaves into a rebellion. He failed however and was captured by Robert E. Lee and later executed for treason. This event sparked distrust between the two sides which resulted in further polarization of beliefs. This raid attempt also gave Lee a lot of recognition amongst his pro-slavery communities and he would continue to rise in popularity, eventually leading the Confederacy through the Civil War.

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Abraham Lincoln, the Republican nominee who ran with a strong anti-slavery campaign, won the election of 1860 against 3 others, Stephen A. Douglas for the Northern Democrats, John C. Breckinridge for the Southern Democrats, and John Bell for the Constitutional Union Party. It is important to note that Lincoln's original campaign called for the stop of the spread of slavery, not its complete abolition. Southern states, however, saw Lincoln's campaign and victory as a threat to their way of life. Lincoln's election was the catalyst to the Southern succession as many Southern states believed that their interests would be ignored without having the power of the presidency. The succession is evidence that Lincoln's election influenced the growth of sectionalism leading up to the Civil War.

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In December 1860, South Carolina became the first state to succeed from the union. The main reason for their departure was the fear of legal oppression without the power of the presidency. Many states viewed Lincoln's strict campaign as a threat to their lifestyle, which eventually caused each to succeed one by one. This event perfectly exemplifies sectionalism leading up to the Civil War as due to the extremely polarized beliefs conflicting between the Democrats and Republicans, states are beginning to leave the union.

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Senator John J. Crittenden of Kentucky proposed the Crittenden Compromise in 1860 as legislation that would secure slavery in the United States Constitution, therefore making it unconstitutional to abolish it. The compromise included clauses that would re-establish the Missouri Compromise and prohibit the abolishment of slavery in slave states. The proposal was unsuccessful in amending the constitution however it was successful in pushing American miles further apart. The Compromise furthered Antebellum sectionalism as it demonstrated the inability of a political compromise to bridge the growing conflict between the Northern and Southern states over the issue of slavery and states' rights.