Slavery was THE great debate of the 1850's as was the question of continuing a union that threatened the lives and property of the South. It caused Lincoln's election in 1860 and fueled the movement to secession and war. Slavery was the dividing point over which there was a limit to the compromises that could be effected. It clearly drove the decade as it had shaped the whole century.
This is true The diplomats, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, John Marshall, and Elbridge Gerry, we’re approached through channels by agents of the French foreign minister, Talleyrand, who demanded bribes and a loan before formal negotiations could begin
C. I’m so sorry if incorrect
Greek empire of Alexander the great