The annexation of Texas and the gain of new territory from the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo sparked turmoil between the North and South, concerning the slavery issue. This was immediately met with violent Southern opposition. Then when California asked for admittance it sparked another crisis. Another issue was the bordering of Texas. There was even some fear th

Another major slavery issue was the Dred Scott decision. It was a landmark case in the 1850's that resulted in declaring that African Americans were not American citizens. It also declared that the part of the Missouri Compromise that banned slavery in north and the west was unconstitutional. The case was titled Scott v. Sanford. Later Dred Scott sued to prove that he and his family were entitled to their freedom. The court soon made it to the Supreme Court. Speaking for the court, Roger Taney said blacks could never become citizens, and had no right to sue in federal courts. He also tried to say that congress had the power to prohibit slavery in federal territories, this would make Scott a slave and not a free man. Scott was born into slavery and was soon sold to a man named John Emerson. He moved to Minnesota with him where slavery was illegal under the Missouri Compromise. There, Scott married and started a family. When his owner died he sued to gain freedom for himself. He said even after moving to Missouri, he should still be free because he lived in Minnesota and was declared a free citizen. After the first court decision he was declared free, but soon later the decision was reversed. However, Scott kept going for his freedom after another trial against his brother-in-law he was still a slave. On May 26, 1857 he finally gained his freedom when he and his family was bought and then freed. His case still remained a key issue, but it led to in 1868 the nation adopted the 13th amendment, which ended slavery and also the 14th which said anyone born in the US would be born a citizen. This case gave some African Americans hope that they could think that they could all soon become free citizens, it would happen for some, but slaver would continue.

By this time, slavery became a huge dilemma. It caused confusion and anger between the two countries. A northerner by the name of John Brown became deeply interested in this subject. He was angered by the way the slaves were being treated, and he disliked the south. By the spring of 1855, civil war had broken out and Brown had assumed command of local Free-Soil militia. Within a year, proslavery forces had sacked the Free-Soil town of Lawrence, an event that triggered a bloody retaliation by Brown. During the night of May 24, 1856, Brown, four of his sons, and two other followers invaded the Pottawatomie River country and killed five helpless settlers, hacking them with sabers. Brown, who was never caught, took full responsibility for the act. Brown became even more preoccupied with abolition by slave insurrection. By 1858 he had persuaded a number of the Nor

Some common words found in the essay are:
Missouri Compromise, Compromise Scott, North South, John Brown, Soon Tom, Pottawatomie River, Uncle Tom, African Americans, Slave Law, Roger Taney, missouri compromise, civil war, dred scott, stephen douglas, popular sovereignty, compromise 1850, uncle tom's cabin, tom's cabin, north south, uncle tom's, lincoln-douglas debates,
Approximate Word count = 1783
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)