Answer:
The election of 1860 was a significant turning point leading up to the Civil War. One event that contributed to the increasing tension was the emergence of the Republican Party, which opposed the expansion of slavery into the western territories. Their candidate, Abraham Lincoln, won the presidency despite only receiving a minority of the popular vote. This upset many Southern Democrats, who believed that their way of life was being threatened by the abolition of slavery.
Another event that contributed to the impending conflict was the formation of the Constitutional Union Party, which was made up of moderate politicians who wanted to avoid the issue of slavery altogether. However, their efforts were unsuccessful as the country was already deeply divided on the issue.
The Compromise of 1850 was another key event leading up to the Civil War. One aspect of the compromise was the Fugitive Slave Act, which required Northern states to return escaped slaves to their Southern owners. This angered many abolitionists and led to increased resistance and violence against the act. Another event that contributed to the conflict was the admission of California as a free state, which upset Southern Democrats who believed it was a violation of the Missouri Compromise. These events further exacerbated the tensions between the North and South and ultimately led to the outbreak of the Civil War.