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egal case in which the U.S. Supreme Court on March 6, 1857, ruled (7–2) that a slave (Dred Scott) who had resided in a free state and territory (where slavery was prohibited) was not thereby entitled to his freedom; that African Americans were not and could never be citizens of the United States

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The Caning of Charles Sumner, or the Brooks–Sumner Affair, occurred on May 22,1856, in the United States Senate when Representative Preston Brooks (D-SC) used a walking cane to attack Senator Charles Sumner (R-MA), an abolitionist, in retaliation for a speech given by Sumner two days earlier

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the Border War was a series of violent confrontations in the United States between 1854 and 1861 which emerged from a political and ideological debate over the legality of slavery in the proposed state

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turns upside down the traditional way of thinking about one of the most important laws ever passed in American history

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Part of the Compromise  between Southern slave holding interests and Northern Free-Soilers Abolitionists nicknamed it the "BloodhoundLaw" for the dogs that were used to track down runaway slaves.
(https://blogpublic.lib.msu.edu/red-tape/2018/feb/february-13-1855-michigan-pushes-back-against-fugitive-slave-law)

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February 13, 1855 : Michigan Pushes Back Against Fugitive Slave Law | MSU Libraries

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On Feb. 13, 1855, the Michigan Legislature moved to protect escaped slaves. To counter the harsh provisions of the 1850 federal Fugitive Slave Law, which forced the return of African Americans who had escaped the horrors of slavery, the Legislature prohibited the use of county jails for the detention of escaped slaves.

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The agreements made in order to admit California into the union as a free state. These agreements included allowing the New Mexico and Utah territories to decide whether to allow slavery, outlawing the slave trade in Washington D.C., and creating a stronger fugitive slave law.

(https://youtu.be/tkdF8pOFUfI)

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War & Expansion: Crash Course US History #17

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In which John Green teaches you about the Mexican-American War in the late 1840s, and the expansion of the United States into the western end of North America. In this episode of Crash Course, US territory finally reaches from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific Ocean.

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California admitted to the union as a free state, but southerners rejected California's request, in fear that it would tip the balance into free states favor.
(http://www.pr51st.com/californias-path-to-statehood/)

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The United States acquired California from Mexico in a treaty - the same process that brought Puerto Rico to the United States. California in 1848 had just over 7,000 residents and not much in the way of towns or resources. The settlers who had come from the United States into California weren't cooperative with the local government, either. A group in the northern part had actually declared themselves a republic for about a month. Mexico must have felt that they could spare California. What they didn't know was that just 9 days before the treaty was signed, gold was discovered at Sutter's Mill.

Within a year, California had a population large enough to be a state. San Fransisco alone had grown from a population of 800 to 100,000 by the time California became a state.

There was a strong statehood movement, too. Like many of the 50 states before statehood, California was a wild and lawless place. The Gold Rush brought people from all over the world, and the system that had worked for a sprawling part of Mexico didn't work for the miners and the boom towns. Different areas of the territory had different laws and governing systems, and there were conflicts among the regions. The territory was officially under military rule, but the U.S. governor couldn't keep his troops from deserting to find gold.

Prices skyrocketed, murders were commonplace (Marysville had 17 murders in one week in 1849), and the infrastructure definitely didn't keep up with the population growth. Californians knew that statehood would lead to peace and prosperity.

California never became an organized territory. Instead, they took up the Tennessee Plan and sent representatives to Washington in 1849 to get statehood quickly.

Statehood and slavery

Political differences divide the United States now, and they did so in the 1800s, too. When California started working toward statehood, the biggest issue was slavery. Some states allowed slavery and some did not. The U.S. Congress tried to avoid serious conflicts on the subject by keeping Congress evenly divided - having the same number of representatives for free states as for slave states. They figured that as long as they had equal numbers of slave and free states, the balance of power in the legislature would keep things running smoothly.

It didn't work out that way over the long run, but when California asked for statehood, Congress was still trying this method. There was a suggestion that California could enter the Union as two states: one with slaves and one without. That idea was rejected, and several other statehood bills for California also failed. The debate was lively - at one point one Congressman drew a pistol on another - and no agreement could be reached.

But opinion across the country was in favor of bringing California into the Union. A New Orleans newspaper said that "in the present unsettled condition of the territory, these dissensions threaten to produce the most serious difficulties, and we are satisfied that the only way to restore harmony is to admit California to the Union without delay." Slaves states like Louisiana wanted to bring California into the nation before the territory made a decision on slavery. Most of the residents in 1849 weren't citizens of the United States and they hadn't yet written a constitution. If they wouldn't agree to divide into two states, they still might be willing to leave the slavery question open.

In the fall of 1849, however, California wrote a constitution, made slavery illegal in the California territory, and again applied for admission as a state. California came into the United States as part of the Compromise of 1850.

Statehood's benefits

California continued to face challenges after they became a state, and the admission of California to the Union didn't prevent the Civil War. But California's quick transition to statehood shows that a possession of the United States, even one experiencing chaos, can become a state, even in the face of conflict and uncertainty. California quickly became and continues to be a prosperous and influential state. The Tennessee Plan worked for California, and it can work for Puerto Rico.

We can't go back. Join us going forward.

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California's Path to Statehood - Puerto Rico 51st

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The United States acquired California from Mexico in a treaty - the same process that brought Puerto Rico to the United States. California in 1848 had just over 7,000 residents and not much in the way of towns or resources. The settlers who had come from the United States into California weren't cooperative with the local government, either.

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People argued and debated on the issue of slavery in the territories, weather the territories should be free or slave based.
(https://answersinhistory.wordpress.com/2007/01/30/slavery-in-america-part-iv/)

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This is the fourth and final enstallment of my paper on slavery in America. Kansas-Nebraska Act The Kansas-Nebraska Act was yet another sectional conflict that arose over the creation of new states or territories. Many in the North were anxious to see the Nebraska Territory organized to allow a cross-country railroad to have its terminus...

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Slaves try to escape their slave owners, Northerners helped fugitive slaves escape.
(http://www.nyhistory.org/sites/default/files/emuseum_real//1914_11_detail.jpg)

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The North didn't want slavery to spread, and take over. The South felt that states should be able to pick whether to be a slave state or a free state.
(https://youtu.be/Z-Id8pqA-O4)

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An Agreement made by congress in 1820 under which Missouri was admitted to the Union as a slave state and Maine was admitted as a free state.

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The Missouri Compromise Explained: US History Review