THE HOUSE DIVIDED
Printed Page 390
14
THE HOUSE DIVIDED
1846–1861
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> How did the issue of slavery drive the United States toward Civil War in the mid-nineteenth century? Chapter 14 explores the politics of slavery in the years leading up to the Civil War. It examines how the recurring issue of the expansion of slavery into newly acquired territories deepened sectional divisions, undermined existing political parties, and helped create new ones. Finally, it looks at the events that ultimately led to secession and civil war.
Figure false: Henry Clay offers his “California compromise” to the U.S. Senate, February 5, 1860. The Granger Collection, New York.