jan 1, 1854 - Ostend Manifesto

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Pierce sends representatives to Belgium to form a secret treaty with Spain in an attempt to buy Cuba from Spain for 15 million dollars, but Spain refuses. The Manifesto is leaked, causing a major public outcry. This causes Pierce to abandon the issue. This, alongside the enforcement of the Fugitive Slave Act, the publication of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, & issues with the Kansas-Nebraska Act, brings slavery to become the foremost issue. For the first time, the North is being required to decide whether to participate in slavery.

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