In the 1850s the American political system collapsed. Americans were bitterly divided over the issues of slavery, immigration and western expansion. The decade featured four of the worst Presidents in US history, one of the worst decisions ever handed down by the Supreme Court, and a Congress so divided that members of the House of Representatives and Senate often brought guns to the floor for protection.
The three major political parties, the Whigs and Democrats and Republicans all failed to restrain the increasingly passionate and violent debates and the political center collapsed. The class will look at the key events that propelled America on the path to Civil War.