Leading to The Civil War

Compromise of 1850

Consisted of five separate bills aimed at addressing the tensions between slave and free states.

California Gold Rush

A mass migration of around 300,000 people to California following the discovery of gold in 1848 at Sutter's Mill.

California's statehood

California was admitted as a free state in 1850 after its application for statehood was agreed upon.

Fugitive Slave Act

Law that required escaped slaves to be returned to their owners if caught, gaining power amidst rising tensions.

Stephen Douglas

A senator who proposed a railroad from Illinois to the Pacific Coast and introduced the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Kansas-Nebraska Act

Legislation that allowed settlers in the two territories to decide on the legality of slavery through popular sovereignty.

Bleeding Kansas

A violent conflict between pro-slavery and anti-slavery factions in Kansas that resulted in numerous deaths.

The Sack of Lawrence

An incident in May 1856 where pro-slavery forces attacked and burned the anti-slavery town of Lawrence, Kansas.

John Brown

An abolitionist who led a violent struggle against pro-slavery forces in Kansas in response to the Sack of Lawrence.

Popular sovereignty

The principle allowing settlers in a territory to determine whether slavery would be allowed.

Ideological shifts

Changes in beliefs or values, particularly regarding slavery, influenced by political decisions.

Sectional tension

Conflict and disagreement between different regions, particularly between the North and South over slavery.

Pro-Slavery faction

Group advocating for the continuation and expansion of slavery.

Anti-Slavery faction

Group opposing slavery and advocating for its abolition.

Missouri Compromise

An agreement that regulated the expansion of slavery in the western territories, which was overridden by the Kansas-Nebraska Act.

Civil War causation

Factors and events that contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War, including legislative compromises and conflicts.