The spirit of compromise, which had helped the nation avoid civil war in the previous crisis, completely collapsed in 1860. A series of events and movements aggravated the debate over slavery until at the breaking point. First came the Compromise of 1850, a package of laws that established five highly controversial points that would ultimately divide the nation. Part of this plan called for transforming the remainder of the Mexican Cession into federal land, where slavery would be decided by popular sovereignty. This infuriated the North, as the decision allowed slavery to spread throughout the country. Secondly, as a result of this compromise, the Fugitive Slave Law was adopted. It made it a crime to aid fugitive slaves and allowed officials to arrest fugitives in free states. This law not only makes the North physically involved and guilty, but also calls into question his beliefs and morals. By law, it was the Northerners' duty to capture runaway slaves so they could be returned to their masters. Furthermore, antislavery literature had an enormous effect on the slavery debate. Subsequent novels...