- Gradual abolition: Many Northerners supported the gradual abolition of slavery, believing it was a moral and economic imperative.
- Free soil movement: The Free Soil Party, formed in 1848, advocated for the restriction of slavery to existing slave states and its exclusion from new territories.
- Underground Railroad: Northerners assisted fugitive slaves through the Underground Railroad, a network of secret routes and safe houses that helped enslaved individuals escape to freedom in the North or Canada.
Southern states:
- Pro-slavery: The Southern states were predominantly pro-slavery, arguing that it was necessary for the economic prosperity of the South and that it was a divinely ordained institution.
- States' rights: Southerners emphasized states' rights and argued that the federal government had no authority to interfere with slavery in the Southern states.
- Nullification: Some Southern states, such as South Carolina, asserted the right to nullify federal laws that they deemed unconstitutional, including those related to slavery.
The differing views about slavery in the North and South were a major source of tension and conflict in the United States, ultimately leading to the Civil War.