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After the election, Southerners again considered seceding from the U.S.. Senates tried to find a another compromise that would settle the disagreements. When a reporter asked Abraham Lincoln, he stated that he would not abolish slavery and that he would enforce The Fugitive Slave Act. However, during the same time, people in South Carolina voted to secede from the union. Other states joined them and together they formed the Confederate States of America.
Source: The map highlights the states that seceded from the United States (http://www.ushistory.org/us/images/00033399.gif).

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Even though Abraham Lincoln only had 40 percent of the vote, he won the presidential election of 1860. After Lincoln was elected, white Southerners again worried that Congress would abolish slavery.
Source: This is a portrait of Abraham Lincoln (http://npg.si.edu/).

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John Brown was outraged by slavery and in 1859, John Brown decided to seize the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. With the weapons, he armed many slaves and lead a huge rebellion against the Southerners. Unfortunately, John Brown's raid resulted in the death of all his men. Also, John Brown was unfortunately accused of treason and sentenced to death for his raid.
Source: Abolitionist John Brown is pictured below (Brittanica).

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In The Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas would argue about the topic of slavery. While Douglas believed that the Dred Scott Desicion resolved all the slavery issues, Lincoln continued to argue that slavery was a moral issue. Although Lincoln did not win the debate, the Lincoln-Douglas Debates helped him become a national figure.
Source: This is an image Stephen Douglas. He won the debates against Abraham Lincoln (http://img.kansasmemory.org/thumb500/00192589.jpg).

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Dred Scott was an African American slave who went in front of the court to win his freedom. Unfortunately,  the Supreme Court did not rule in his favor because he wasn't an American citizen. According to The Dred Scott Decision, African Americans could never become American citizens. Also, the judges determined (during the Dred Scott case) that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
Source: Here is a picture of Dred Scott from the New World Encyclopedia

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After the bloodshed in Kansas, Senator Charles Summer grew very furious. He was convinced that Senator Stephen Douglas had sided with the Southerners, so that Kansas would be a slave state. Summer gave a speech called "The Crime Against Kansas" that accused Douglas of "violent assault on an innocent territory." Summer also abused other Southerners, one including Senator Butler. Unfortunately for Summer, he was attacked with a cane by Butler's nephew 2 days after his speech.
Source: The man in the picture below is Senator Charles Summer (https://www.nps.gov/long/learn/historyculture/images/Sumner2.jpg).

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Shortly after The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was passed, more and more people (some pro-slavery and some anti-slavery) began to settle in Kansas. All of a sudden, the pro-slavery settlers turned bloody, and on May 21, 1856, they burned a hotel, stole from many homes, and threw "the printing presses of two abolitionist newspapers into the Kaw River." Their violent act drove the abolitionists furious; it especially upset John Brown. As revenge, John Brown beat up and killed five men with a sword.
Source: The image depicts the arguments between the proslavery and antislavery settlers (https://www.nps.gov/teachers/classrooms/ks-sparks-of-war.htm).

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The creator of The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 was Stephan A. Douglas. With the act, two new states were formed and the Missouri Compromise was abolished. Congress decided to let the settlers in the new states determine the laws on slavery (popular sovereignty). However, this sparked fear in the Northerners. To settle their fears, Douglas argued that the climate in the new states wasn't suitable for slave labor.
Source: This video further explains the Kansas-Nebraska Act (history.com)

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

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Under the Fugitive Slave Act, Southerners hoped that there would be less runaway slaves. The act stated that all captured and arrested runaway slaves had almost no legal rights. It also stated that people could be jailed for either not helping slave catchers or assisting fugitive slaves. However, the Fugitive Slave Act was not a success since Northerners did not enforce the law and Southerners believed the act would not guarantee the retrieval of their slaves.
Source: A Southerner wrote all of the punishments and consequences that are stated in the Fugitive Slave Law (pbs.org).

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The Compromise of 1850 was an agreement proposed by Henry Clay to settle the controversy over California. Under the compromise, California was admitted as a free state, and the slave trade in Washington D.C. was outlawed (good for North). However, the compromise also allowed Utah and New Mexico to make the decision on slavery and the compromise promised to create a strong fugitive slave law (good for South). Although Henry Clay and congress hoped that the compromise would settle the arguments for a while, it ended up making them worse!
Source: Below is an image found on Brittanica of Henry Clay

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In 1849, California applied for entry into the U.S. as a free state. However, the Southerners refused to admit California into the union because it would disrupt the equal amount of free and slave states. Southerners also threatened to leave the union if California was admitted.
Source: This image expresses the unequal balance of free and slave states (if California was admitted as a free state).

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The Wilmot Proviso was a result of the Mexican- American War. The Wilmot Proviso outlawed slavery in the new territory that was acquired by the U.S. in the Mexican-American War. Southerners resented Wilmot's amendment and argued that Congress was not allowed to prohibit slavery. Fortunately for the Southerners, The Wilmot Proviso was vetoed by the Senate.
Source: This image from Britannica displays the new land acquired by the U.S. during the Mexican-American War. Slavery was prohibited in this land.

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Slave owners started to become upset as more and more slaves tried to escape. They demanded for Congress to pass a law preventing fugitive slaves (The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850). For slaveowners, the loss of slaves meant the loss of property.
Source: This video from the History Channel further provides information on fugitive slaves and slave owners.

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Sound Smart: The Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 | History

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Unfortunately, the Missouri Compromise did not achieve the goal of settling slavery. Abolitionists began to petition for anti-slavery, but Congress refused to discuss the topic. In result, abolitionists grew furious and began to refer to the Congress' actions as the "gag rule." On the other hand, White Southerners were unhappy with the abolitionists' attacks and petitions, so they decided to add new laws to control the movement of slaves.

Source:  This is an example of a abolitionist's petition to the government (gwu.edu)

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In an effort to balance the power between slave and free states, Congress created the Missouri Compromise. Under the Missouri Compromise, Missouri was allowed entry into the U.S. as a slave state and Maine was allowed entry into the U.S, as a free state.
Source:  The video is from the History Channel and it gives more background information on the Missouri Compromise.

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What Was the Missouri Compromise? | History