During the time period 1845-1861 tensions over the extension of slavery grew

rapidly. The North and South became more hostile and were on the brink of civil war
many times. Events such as California coming in as a free state, the compromise of
1850, and the Kansas- Nebraska Act all contributed to the controversy between the
North, and the South over extending slavery.
Gold was discovered in California in the late 1840s this sparked the infamous
Gold Rush. The Gold Rush caused millions of people to leave the east coast and
move out west in hope of finding riches. Eventually California sustained many
citizens and they applied for statehood. However, California wanted to remain a free
state. This upset the South because it would upset the sectional balance in the
senate giving the U.S one more free state than slave state. The south was enraged
and South Carolina threatened to secede. At this time our country was on the brink
of civil war and the tension between the North and South was enormous.
When California applied for statehood the south would not accept it. This
nearly caused them to secede but Henry clay created the compromise of 1850. This
compromise gave both the North and South something they desired but not
everything they asked for. There were five parts of the compromise and four parts
apply to slavery and its extension. The first is popular sovereignty. This allows states
to vote for whether they went to have slavery in their state it gives the people a
voice. The South embraced this this because it was an opportunity to expand
slavery. Next fugitive slave laws in the North would be stricter and more harsh. The
south would now have less runaway slaves because now people would be more
reluctant to aid the escape of slaves. The slave trade in DC would be abolished. This
helps further stop the extension of slavery by stopping the slave trade at least in
DC. Finally California would come in as a free state giving the North more power in
the senate. In this compromise each side received something they desired.
However, this did not reduce tension. This compromise just postponed the civil war.
The North and the South were still at odds and upset because neither side felt that
they won.
Finally, the Kansas- Nebraska act cause a great uproar in America at the time.
The Kansas- Nebraska act was passed in Congress allowing these two states to vote
on whether slavery would be allowed in their state using popular sovereignty. This
greatly enraged Northerners mainly abolitionists. However, this excited southerners
giving them the opportunity to expand slavery. Therefore both sides flood these two
states with outside voters hoping to either decrease turnout of one side or enhance
the amount of votes of their side. However, this dispute turned deadly fast. People
were killing each other in the streets and violence was everywhere especially in
Kansas different groups and gangs formed and it became a free for all of violence
and murder. Even though at this point America was not at war yet it represents the
feelings between northerners and southerners and the disdain between them.
During, 1845 till 1861 tension in the country rose. This eventually led to the
American civil war. This was a deadly war in which many lives were lost or changed
forever. The state of Kansas during the Kansas- Nebraska act is a prime example of
what the civil war turned out to be. This was a foreshadowing of the extreme

violence in American and ultimately a foreshadowing of the civil war. The state of
Kansas showed the true disdain for the two sides in America and led to the bloodiest
battle of the civil war.