5.6 Failure of Compromise

Compromises unravel in the 1850s

As sectional tension grew, political attempts to resolve slavery's expansion collapsed. The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854) repealed the Missouri Compromise line, applying popular sovereignty to Kansas and Nebraska. This sparked violent conflict known as "Bleeding Kansas," as pro- and anti-slavery settlers clashed over the territory's future.

Party system breaks down

The Kansas-Nebraska Act destroyed the Whig Party and gave rise to the Republican Party, built on opposing slavery's expansion. The Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857) decision ruled African Americans weren't citizens and Congress couldn't ban slavery in territories, alarming the North. John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry (1859) deepened fears of Southern insurrection and violence.

Election of 1860 and secession

The Democratic Party split into Northern and Southern factions, ensuring Abraham Lincoln's Republican victory in 1860 despite winning no Southern states. Southern states viewed his election as a threat to slavery and states' rights, leading South Carolina to secede first, followed by six more states forming the Confederate States of America before Lincoln's inauguration.

Key terms

Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)

Repealed the Missouri Compromise; allowed popular sovereignty to decide slavery in Kansas and Nebraska, sparking violent conflict.

Bleeding Kansas

Violent clashes between pro- and anti-slavery settlers in Kansas Territory over whether it would allow slavery.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Supreme Court ruling that African Americans were not citizens and Congress could not ban slavery in territories.

John Brown's Raid (1859)

Failed attempt to seize the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry and incite a slave uprising; increased sectional tensions.

Election of 1860

Lincoln won the presidency without Southern support after the Democratic Party split, prompting Southern secession.

Try an AP-style question

The Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854)…

1. banned slavery in Kansas
2. admitted Nebraska as a slave state
3. repealed the Missouri Compromise line
4. ended popular sovereignty