Question

I'm trying to put these events in order of which one impacted slavery the most (1) to the least (5).

Answer 1

Here's what each of the events is in a basic rundown. I hope this helps

- The Missouri compromise banned slavery north of the 36th parallel (this didnt last long) while making Maine a free state and Missouri a slave state

- The compromise of 1850 abolished slave trade in Washington DC and made California a free state. (going against the Missouri compromise) It also allowed Utah and New Mexico to decide under popular sovereignty whether or not to be slave states (they didn't have much use for slaves because they couldn't grow much on plantations there) Slave trade was banned in the district of Columbia (but not the use of slaves itself) The law required law enforcement to capture and return fugitive slaves.

- The Kansas-Nebraska act allowed kansas and Nebraska to choose by popular sovereignty whether or not to be slave states (going against Missouri compromise)

- The Dred Scott v. Sandford case was about a slave that was taken from a slave state to a free territory and taken back to a slave state. He argued that he had been freed when he had been taken to the free territory. The court determined that "Persons of African descent cannot be, nor were ever intended to be, citizens under the U.S. Constitution" though black men could vote in 5 of the 13 states at that point. The case also ruled that the Missouri compromise was unconstitutional and Congress cannot ban slavery in territories. It has to be decided at the ratification of the state. The case also ruled that slaves are not freed by being taken or escaping to a free territory.

- The Fugitive Slave Act required any captured, escaped slaves to be returned to their masters and it required officials and citizens of free states to cooperate. people caught helping slaves were punished and suspected slaves couldn't ask for jury trial or testify on their own behalf. Also, officials were required to make arrests based off as little as a sworn testimony of ownership. This resulted in kidnapping and forcing freed blacks into slavery on false claims.