1. DRED SCOTT DECISION  Dred Scott was a slave  Owner had taken him north of Missouri Compromise Line  Sued for freedom  Court Ruled  Slaves did not have same rights as citizens  Had no claim to freedom – lived in MO at time of lawsuit  Missouri Compromise unconstitutional – interfered with slaveholders’ right to own property  Cleared way for extension of slavery

2. LECOMPTON CONSTITUTION  Pro-slavery government of Kansas applied for statehood  Free Soilers rejected the Constitution  Legislature called for a vote (referendum) on issue  President Buchanan supported the Constitution – no need for a new vote  Stephen Douglas outraged – convinced Congress to authorize another vote  Voters rejected the constitution  Split the northern and southern factions of the Democratic Party

3. LINCOLN-DOUGLAS DEBATES Ran against each other for Senator  Douglas  Popular sovereignty would allow slavery to die on its own  Slavery was not immoral, but an outdated economic system  Lincoln  Slavery would never die on its own  Slavery was an immoral system based on greed  Douglas won, but views alienated him from southern voters

4. JOHN BROWN AND HARPERS FERRY  John Brown – abolitionist from north  Harpers Ferry – federal arsenal located in Virginia  Brown led 21 men on raid to capture the arsenal  Planned to give weapons to local slaves – start uprising  50 local townspeople held hostage – hoped slaves would join  No slaves came forward  Federal troops killed 10 of Brown’s men  Brown captured – tried for treaon

5. ELECTION OF 1860  Democratic Party split  Northern Democrats – Stephen Douglas – popular sovereignty  Southern Democrats – John C. Breckenridge – slavery everywhere  Republican Party – Abraham Lincoln – stop SPREAD of slavery  Constitutional Union Party – John Bell – took no position on slavery  Democratic split allowed Lincoln to win north  Entire north voted for Licoln  Entire south voted for Breckenridge  Lincoln easily won electoral vote, even though he only won 40% of popular vote

6. SECESSION OF SOUTHERN STATES  Southern states threatened that they would lose slavery  South Carolina was first to secede  7 Deep South states seceded before Lincoln took office  War started at Fort Sumter  4 additional states (VA, NC, TN, AR) seceded after Fort Sumter