Chapter 15: The Coming Crisis, the 1850s
The decade of the 1850s was a turning point in American history. Attempts to compromise on slavery issues failed to resolve differences leading to greater passion and violence. The experience in Kansas served as a precursor of the future. At the same time, nativism arose in the North. Faced with mounting tensions and stresses, the political party system fragmented as the Whigs disappeared and the Republicans emerged. In the late 1850s, a series of crises exacerbated an already tense situation that reached a peak with John Brown’s raid. The 1860 election showed the decline of national politics and Lincoln’s victory prompted southern states to secede and form the Confederacy.
