- Uncle Toms Cabin was released by Harriet Stowe which further helped to abolish slavery.
- With the end of the Mexican War in 1848 and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, America was ceded western territories. This posed a problem. As these new territories would be admitted as states, would they be free or slave states
- The Fugitive Slave Act was passed as part of the Compromise of 1850. This act forced any federal official who did not arrest a runaway slave to pay a fine. This was the most controversial part of the Compromise of 1850 and caused many abolitionists to increase their efforts against slavery.
