First off, if slavery was to be abolished in all of America, the North needed to take action. The words exchanged back and forth between the divided nation were not getting anywhere. The South were very stubborn and continued to rely on slaves to do most of the hard labor. They always seemed to be unsatisfied with laws and acts passed which caused them to split from the Union.
One attempt for an agreement between the regions was the Compromise of 1850. This compromise tried to make everybody happy about the issue of slavery in states. The things that pleased the Northern states were that California was assumed a "free state", slave trade was ended, and that the territories of New Mexico and Utah would have popular sovereignty. The one large plus for the South was that the Fugitive Slave Act was passed.
The Fugitive Slave Act, was a very reprehensible topic. It stated that all slaves must be returned to their owners, and it was one of the main causes of the Civil War. When the Pearl Incident occurred, which was when "76 slaves tried to escape from Washington D.C," people had mixed reactions (Wikipedia). Once again there was an argument dealing on the topic of slaves and slavery between the North and the South.
When Abraham Lincoln was elected, which by the way he did not receive a single electoral vote from a Southern state, he pledged to prevent the expansion of slavery. However, he did not say anything about ending
Bibliography: Abraham Lincoln." Past Presidents. 19 Dec. 2007 . "American Civil War." Wikipedia. 18 Dec. 2007 . "American Civil War." World Book 2005. 2005. Engs, Robert F. "Slavery in Civil War Era." Slavery During the Civil War (2002). 17 Dec. 2007 . Jordan, Robert P. The Civil War. American Society of Civil Engineers, 1969. McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: the Civil War Era. Oxford UP US, 1988. "Proposal and Ratification." 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1997). 20 Dec. 2007 "Records Relating to Freedmen 's Labor." Freedmen 's Bureau Online (1997). 20 Dec. 2007 . "Surrender Terms At Appomattox, 1865." Surrender At Appomattox, 1865 (1997). 19 Dec. 2007 . "The Civil War and Emancipation." Peoples & Events (2002). 18 Dec. 2007 .