9 Sep 1850: Compromise of 1850,A series of five bills passed to address the issue of slavery, including admitting California as a free state and enacting the Fugitive Slave Act.
2
1852
20 Mar 1852: Uncle Tom's Cabin published,Harriet Beecher Stowe's anti-slavery novel was published, becoming a bestseller and fueling the abolitionist movement.
3
1854
30 May 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act,The act created the territories of Kansas and Nebraska and allowed settlers to decide on the issue of slavery through "popular sovereignty."
15 Oct 1854: Republican Party founded,Anti-slavery activists and Whig Party members formed the Republican Party in Ripon, Wisconsin.
4
1856
21 May 1856: Sack of Lawrence,Pro-slavery forces attacked and looted the anti-slavery town of Lawrence, Kansas, during "Bleeding Kansas."
5
1857
6 Mar 1857: Dred Scott decision,The Supreme Court ruled that African Americans were not citizens and that the Missouri Compromise was unconstitutional.
6
1858
15 Oct 1858: Lincoln-Douglas Debates,Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas held a series of seven debates on the issue of slavery in Illinois.
7
1859
16 Oct 1859: John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry,Abolitionist John Brown led a raid on a federal armory in Harpers Ferry, Virginia, hoping to start a slave revolt.
1849 - Bef 1860 (< 10 years)
