Station #1-Dred Scott Case Description In 1857, Dred Scott lost his case proving that he should be free because he had been held as a slave while living in a free state. The Court ruled that his petition could not be seen because he did not hold any property. But it went further, to state that even though he had been taken by his 'owner' into a free state, he was still a slave because slaves were to be considered property of their owners. This decision furthered the cause of abolitionists as they increased their efforts to fight against slavery.

Station #1-Dred Scott Case Evidence A quote from the Chicago Tribune (Northern newspaper) on the case: “No event has occurred that will entail upon the country the consequences, which are involved in this partisan movement of the slavery propagandists. It is the first step in a revolution which, if not arrested, nullifies the Revolution of '76 and makes us all slaves again.” A quote from The Mercury (Southern newspaper) on the case: "In the final conflict between Slavery and Abolitionism, which this very decision will precipitate, the principles of the judgment in the Dred Scott case may be of some avail to the South in giving an appearance of justice and moderation to its position."

Station #2-End of the Mexican American War Description With the end of the Mexican War, America was ceded western territories. This posed a problem: as these new territories would be admitted as states, would they be free or slave? To deal with this, Congress passed the Compromise of 1850 which basically made California free and allowed the people to pick in Utah and New Mexico. This ability of a state to decide whether it would allow slavery was called popular sovereignty.

Station #2-End of the Mexican American War Evidence Compromise of 1850 stated that: 1. Texas forced to give up may western land claims -for $10 million to pay its debts 2. California admitted as a free state (pro-North) 3. Strict new fugitive slave law (pro-South and VERY controversial) 4. Slave trade abolished in Washington D.C. (pro-North) 5. Both Utah and New Mexico choose whether to be slave/non slave states.

Station #3- Publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin Description Uncle Tom's Cabin was written in 1852 by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe was an abolitionist who wrote this book to show the evils of slavery. This book, which was a best seller at the time, had a huge impact on the way that northerners viewed slavery. It helped further the cause of abolition and even Abraham Lincoln recognized that this book was one of the events that led to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Station #3-Publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin Evidence President Abraham Lincoln, upon meeting Stowe, stated “So this is little woman who made this great war?”

Station #4 Bleeding Kansas Description In 1854, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed allowing the Kansas and Nebraska territories to decide for themselves using popular sovereignty whether they wanted to be free or slave. By 1856, Kansas had become a hotbed of violence as pro- and anti-slavery forces fought over the state's future. The widely reported violent events were a small taste of the violence to come with the Civil War.

Station #4-Bleeding Kansas Evidence Southerners were driven by the words of leaders such as David Atchison, a Missouri senator. Atchison proclaimed the Northerners to be "negro thieves" and "abolitionist tyrants,” and if necessary, "to kill every God-damned abolitionist in the district." The northerners, however, were not all abolitionists as Atchison claimed. In fact, abolitionists were in the minority. Most of the Free State settlers were part of a movement called Free Soil, which demanded free territory for free white people. They hated slavery, but not out of concern for the slaves themselves but because hated it because plantations took over their land and business.

Station #5-Licoln’s election When Lincoln was elected in 1860, South Carolina issued its "Declaration of the Causes of Secession." They believed that Lincoln was anti-slavery and in favor of Northern interests. Before Lincoln was even president, seven states had already seceded from the Union : South Carolina, Mississippi, Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas.

Station #5