4.The Way to the Civil War

By 1819，an exact balance of power was achieved in the Senate.There were 11slave states and 11free states.When Missouri asked for admission as slave state in 1819，the first crisis came.Finally in 1820，the North and the South reached a solution by the“Missouri Compromise”which admitted Missouri as a slave state，but balanced her by admitting Maine as a free state.Maine was originally apart of Massachusetts.At the same time，it was agreed that the remainder of the Louisiana Territory north of the 36°30′parallel of latitude，with the exception of Missouri，would be free of slavery.South of that line slavery could continue.The Missouri Compromise brought a solution to the immediate problem of the extension of slavery.And it also postponed the more crucial issue of the continued existence of slavery in a free society.

The United States in 1824

In 1850，the south had again accepted compromise with the admission of California as a free state in return for the passage of a rigorously enforced fugitive slave law.The problem of the extension of slavery into the other area acquired from Mexico was postponed by adopting the doctrine of“popular sovereignty”.This doctrine means to let the inhabitants of the new territories decide the question of slavery for themselves.In appearance，it seemed fair，but in actual practice，as far as slavery was concerned，the doctrine did not work，as events in Nebraska Territory soon proved.

In 1854，Stephen A.Douglas，a senator from Illinois，proposed a bill that suggested that the Nebraska area be divided into two territories，Kansas in the south and Nebraska in the north.Under the doctrine of“popular sovereignty”，the inhabitants would determine whether or not they should enter the Union as free or slave states.This was the Kansas-Nebraska Act known in history.The results of the Act were disastrous.Slaveholders poured into Kansas to make it a slave state，while Northerners moved in to make it a free state.In 1856，shooting first started between proslavery and antislavery forces.It was the prelude of the Civil War struggle of five years later.

In 1854，a northern alliance of people who determined to abolish slavery founded a new party，which they called Republican.It rapidly absorbed the other abolition parties.From then on the Democratic Party and the Republican Party became two main parties in the United States.

Abraham Lincoln（1809-1865）

In the general election of 1860，Abraham Lincoln，the Republican nominee，was elected President.Lincoln was entirely self-educated.As a young man，he had settled in Illinois，and later he became a lawyer.He began his political career by first serving four terms in the state legislature and then one term in the US House of Representatives.He had always regarded slavery as an evil and believed that it should be restricted by the federal government and ultimately abolished.

When Lincoln was elected President，the southern states almost immediately began to secede from the Federal Union.On Feb.4，1861，representatives from the seceded states met at Montgomery，Alabama.And they organized the Confederate States of America.Jefferson Davis of Mississippi was chosen President and Alexander H.Stephens of Georgia became Vice President.Richmond，the capital of Virginia，was chosen as their Confederate capital.Also a constitution was passed.This constitution accepted the doctrine of state sovereignty，and approved of slavery.

On March 4，1861，Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office.In his inaugural address，Lincoln was firm but kindly in his sentiment toward the South.He denied that the government had any intention of interfering with slavery in the states where it legally existed.And he appealed to the South？s traditional sentiments for the Union and expressed his desire to avoid war.For the next month，Lincoln took no measures against the seceded states.He continued to seek for a peaceful solution to the problem.But soon actions，not words，took command of the situation.In April 1861，the Confederates took Fort Sumter in South Carolina and the Civil War began.