Causes of the Civil War

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Missouri Compromise

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1820 agreement to maintain balance between slave and free states

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Abolitionist Movement

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Campaign to end slavery in the United States

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States' Rights

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Belief that states have certain rights and political powers separate from the federal government

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Tariff of Abominations

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1828 tariff that angered Southern states, leading to nullification crisis

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Nullification Crisis

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Conflict between South Carolina and federal government over tariff enforcement

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Compromise of 1850

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Series of laws intended to settle the issue of slavery in territories

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Fugitive Slave Act

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Law requiring the return of escaped slaves to their owners

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Uncle Tom's Cabin

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Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel that fueled anti-slavery sentiment

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Kansas-Nebraska Act

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1854 law allowing territories to decide on slavery by popular sovereignty

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Bleeding Kansas

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Violent conflicts in Kansas over slavery decision