1848-1861

A man discovered gold in the California Sierra Nevadas, people heard about the discovery. Immigrants traveled to California hoping to find gold to make decent money. The population number skyrocketed, the rush brought the largest amount of Chinese immigrants.

An act that stripped runaway slaves rights away. They weren't allowed to go before a judge and jury, or stand up for themselves. These laws helped slavery with its progress on spreading through the south because the slaves had no voice.

A book written by Harriet Beecher Stowe, that tells a story of a mother who was a slave going through the underground railroad. The book caused a big controversy between the northern and southern people.

The Pottawatomie Massacre led to many bloody deaths throughout Kansas. John Brown had killed people from their home and in towns with run away slaves. All these casualties had people calling this area bleeding Kansas.

Charles Sumner presents a speech bashing on Preston Brooks's uncle. This speech makes Brooks extremely mad, so he attacks Sumner with a cane in front of everyone. This incident was put all over the news, and in newspapers.

Dred Scott was a slave escaped and went to the north and lived as a free slave. But then was taken back to his owner, but he soon began a lawsuit to win his freedom.

Three major parties competed including Lincolin. The democratic party split because of the issue of slavery. Lincolin won the electon and began to look more on slavery.

When Lincolin one the south began to think their voice was silenced in the country. The southern states seceded and became their own country.